Folks named finalist for Superintendent of the Year

NISD Communications Department

August 24, 2006

Northside Superintendent John Folks this week was selected one of five finalists across the state for the Superintendent of the Year in the annual competition sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards.

The top superintendent will be announced in Houston Oct. 8 at the annual convention for the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Earlier this year, Folks was named the regional Superintendent of the Year by a screening committee from the Region 20 Education Service Center. Screening committee members included trustees from Alamo Heights, Southwest and Lytle school districts.

"I'm honored they would select me," Folks said. "It's really a recognition of all superintendents and the job they do, as well as recognition of Northside employees and all that they do."

The other four finalists are: Daniel King, Hidalgo ISD; Nadine Kujawa, Aldine ISD; Vivian Baker, Belton ISD; and Sylvester Perez, San Marcos CISD.

Superintendents from all 1,000-plus schools districts in the state are eligible to be nominated.

Candidates are chosen for their strong leadership skills, dedication to improving the quality of education in their school districts, commitment to public support, involvement in education and ability to build good employee relations among teachers and staff members.

Al Silva, the Alamo Heights trustee on the Region 20 screening committee, said all the regional nominees have implemented innovative programs to help educate children.

"What I think stands out with Dr. Folks is the sheer, unbelievable size of the district, yet when you read what he's done, it's not dissimilar to what other superintendents do in smaller districts," Silva said. "Northside has challenges with its size, growth and diversity, yet it's a smooth, smooth operation. It's really impressive."

Folks has served as Northside superintendent since 2002. Under his leadership, student achievement has climbed, the district's financial stability improved, and the expectations of teachers and staff have risen, said Randall Fields, president of Northside’s board of trustees.

Last year, H-E-B Grocery Co. named Northside the best school district in Texas and bestowed NISD with the inaugural Excellence in Education Award. And this year, NISD became the largest district in Texas to earn a Recognized rating under the state’s accountability system.

"It takes lots of people to make NISD the successful school district that it is, but the man at the helm has to take credit for providing the leadership, inspiration and guidance," Fields said. "People all around Texas know about Northside ISD and they know about our quality leader. This school board is very proud of Superintendent John Folks."

Before coming to Northside, Folks served as superintendent of Spring ISD in Houston and also as the Oklahoma state superintendent of public instruction. He currently serves on the board of directors of the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, the Texas Academic Decathlon, the Northwest YMCA, Communities in Schools – San Antonio, Texas Association of Suburban/Mid Urban Schools and the National Council for Impacted Schools.

He is also president of the Texas School Alliance and serves on the executive and legislative committees of the Texas Association of School Administrators and the legislative council of the University Interscholastic League.

RSS 2.0 NISD News Feed

View News Archives

Printer Friendly