In an era of public school leadership shakeups, Superintendent John Craft plans to retire from Northside Independent School District after serving as its head administrator for just three years.
Northside ISD is San Antonio’s largest school district, and one of the largest statewide, serving around 99,000 students across more than 100 schools.
Craft announced his exit and plans to officially leave the role around January, said a district spokesperson on Tuesday.
In a statement, Craft summarized his career in public education has been about “creating optimal learning opportunities” for students across Texas.
“The development of performance-driven teams, along with intentional planning and deliberate actions with the support and collaboration of so many amazing leaders, has always been with students’ best interests at the core of our collective efforts,” Craft said.
Hailing from the Fort Worth region, Craft kicked off his education career in 1999 as a high school biology teacher at Carroll ISD, while also coaching baseball and football. He moved up the ladder, serving as assistant principal, principal and later being hired as superintendent of schools in Hamilton ISD in 2010.
He later became superintendent for Killeen ISD before becoming Northside ISD’s leader in February 2023.
When Craft was first named as a sole finalist for NISD’s superintendency, he said he would have a lot to learn but was excited about the learning opportunities for his then-high school daughters.
While he plans to retire from public education, Craft intends to keep serving “greater public interests,” said spokesperson Barry Perez.
Under Craft’s leadership, NISD opened its boundaries to students across Bexar County, expanding school choice and putting up a proactive defense against the state’s new school voucher program.
Like most school districts in San Antonio, NISD has also seen historic declining enrollment, resulting in a multi-year budget deficit, budget cuts and restaffing.
NISD is currently undergoing an “optimization” process to deal with the revenue loss, which could include campus consolidation, expanding innovative school models and other strategies to save money and attract students.
Craft’s announcement comes six months after Superintendent Sean Maika at North East ISD left for another role and three months after Superintendent Jaime Aquino at San Antonio ISD announced his exit.
NISD, NEISD and SAISD are the city’s three largest school districts — all are experiencing falling enrollment and multimillion budget deficits.
At the same time, Judson ISD, the fourth-largest district, is currently being run by an interim leader after superintendent Milton Fields was pushed out by the school board after a months-long bitter saga.
NEISD quickly replaced Maika with Anthony Jarrett, naming him the lone finalist for the superintendent’s office in May. Board members at SAISD are currently interviewing candidates and hope to name a finalist before July. Judson ISD has not made moves to look for an official new leader yet.
NISD’s board plans to meet June 9 to consider and discuss a transition plan for finding Craft’s successor.
Board President Karla Duran, said she was “deeply” grateful for Craft’s dedication to the district’s students.
“As he begins a new chapter, I wish him continued success, fulfillment, and happiness in all of his future endeavors,” she said in a text message. “I understand the importance of making tough decisions as leaders and we wish him continued blessings. Que diosito lo bendiga.”
For Craft, it’s “always been about creating opportunities for students.”
“Serving the students and the Northside ISD community has been the privilege of a lifetime,” he said.
