Dallas, Fort Worth superintendents to step down; replacement searches begin

The large Texas districts will have to search for a new superintendent for the first time in years.

North Texas’ two largest school districts will soon look for new leaders after superintendents Michael Hinojosa and Kent Scribner announced their departures on Thursday.

Dallas and Fort Worth, among the state’s largest and most influential school systems, will undergo searches for superintendents as many districts across Texas and country are doing the same.

Education observers fear an exodus of superintendents after two exhausting years upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Political tensions over mask mandates and the way schools examine racism put superintendent decisions under a harsh spotlight.

“A lot of the political divisions, the cultural divisions, that are there have become such a distraction to doing the job that it becomes untenable,” said Kevin Brown, director of the Texas Association of School Administrators. “In the current climate, it becomes more challenging to feel like you’re fulfilling the mission that you originally signed up to do.”

Read more from The Dallas Morning News.

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