KISD inks $40K contract to conduct superintendent search

Craft has been named the lone finalist for the superintendent’s post in Northside ISD, outside San Antonio.

Board President Brett Williams provided a copy of the agreement to the Herald earlier this week. It pays up to $20,000 no later than 30 business days after the contract was approved and up to another $20,000 “upon the hiring and contracting with the new superintendent.”

Trustees on March 7 chose JG Consulting of Austin to conduct the search.

“They seemed to have the most aggressive, innovative process of the three options,” board member Oliver Mintz said during that meeting. “They seemed to have a wider operation and the most professional presentation with a proven track record.”

The unanimous decision by trustees came a day after they spent almost two hours listening to presentations from three firms, including JG Consulting, about how they’d conduct the search.

The other firms that pitched the governing body are the Texas Association of School Boards and Thompson & Horton — the same firm that conducted the search for the district that named Craft its lone finalist — Northside ISD.

“I think they (have) the best combination of resources that will maximize the commitment we have to ensure we get the right person,” Williams said on March 7.

Board member Susan Jones agreed.

“Their presentation seemed to cover a broader scope of things,” she said. “I appreciated that they saw their responsibility from a business perspective — not just as a school board position.”

Killeen ISD spokeswoman Taina Maya said the search is expected to take four to five months.

“It is important to mention that trustees are committed to finding the right person, so the timeline will be flexible.”

District officials on Feb. 28 announced that Craft had been named lone finalist at Northside ISD after 11 years at KISD, including the last nine as superintendent. On March 6, following a nearly two-hour executive session, board members voted 7-0 to name Megan Bradley interim superintendent. She had been deputy superintendent, having worked in that position since April 2022. Before that, she was the district’s chief financial officer for 15 years.

Bradley’s salary is $218,931.

“She will receive a $10,000-a-month stipend while serving as interim superintendent,” Maya said.

A Temple native, Craft joined Killeen ISD as deputy superintendent in 2012 and was named superintendent in January 2015. Trustees in February voted to extend his contract by one year, through 2027. His salary is $340,101.

Northside, with a student population of about 102,000, is Bexar County’s largest school district and the fourth-largest in Texas, according to its website.

Killeen ISD has about 45,000 students.