North East Independent School District found a sole finalist for its superintendent.
On Monday, the board voted 6-0 to name interim leader Anthony Jarrett as NEISD’s permanent superintendent. Board member Terri Chigdey was absent.
After then-superintendent Sean Maika left the role in January, the board chose Jarrett, NEISD’s chief instructional officer at the time, to lead as interim superintendent.
“In the past four months, Mr. Jarrett has, in effect, been interviewing for this superintendent position,” said Board President David Beyer. “He’s not remained idle, and in doing so, he’s done everything in the interest of the district, regardless of self.
Maika, who has now moved on to a role in the Alamo Colleges District, also served as interim superintendent at NEISD before the board chose him to fully take over.
Jarrett will step into the district’s top administrative position with decades of education experience.
Jarrett graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in psychology and later completed a public education leadership fellowship at Yale University. He joined NEISD in 2019 from neighboring Northside ISD, where he worked as a teacher, principal and a district administrator.
Since Jarrett took the reins, NEISD revised its cellphone policy to comply with Texas Education Agency guidelines after facing off with the state for months and opened up its boundaries to receive students from outside the district.
NEISD also kicked off Bond 2025 projects, setting timelines and hiring contractors for $495 million worth of major infrastructural upgrades and purchases.
Challenges ahead
NEISD currently serves around 55,000 across 144 square miles and operates more than 60 schools.
The second-largest school district in San Antonio, NEISD faces declining student enrollment and an $18 million budget deficit, both of which played a hand in the closure of three schools last year and could lead to more consolidations and budget cuts in the future.
At the same time, districts are bracing for the impact of Texas Education Freedom Accounts or state-funded school vouchers, which give participating families scholarships to pay for private school and education services.
In response to an increasing competitive education landscape, school districts are investing more in flexible and innovative school models.
At NEISD, the possibility of launching or restructuring magnet programs are also part of the consolidation discussion as the district decides how to retain and attract students.
Jarrett’s selection to lead NEISD also comes at a time when Bexar County school districts are seeing leadership shakeups.
At Judson ISD, interim superintendent Robert Jaklich stepped into the role after then-superintendent Milton Fields was pushed out by the board, a contentious and months-long saga.
San Antonio ISD is in the process of finding a new superintendent after Jaime Aquino announced he would step down by January of next year.
At Medina Valley ISD, on the far West Side, board members named their own finalist for the superintendent role in April.
School boards are required to name a “lone finalist” for superintendent and then wait at least 21 days before officially hiring that person.
When Maika was hired back in 2019, he was signed on under a three-year contract which renewed in 2022 and was paid an annual salary of at least $290,000.
Jarrett’s interim contract was set to expire on June 30, and his interim salary was set at $149,350.49 for the seven months he served as NEISD’s temporary leader.
He will likely be offered the permanent position and a more lucrative contract after the 21-day waiting period.
“Sitting in this role has been a humbling experience,” Jarrett said after the board voted to hire him on Monday evening. “The mindset of service first and self second is something that I fundamentally believe in.”
