KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Another North Texas school district has announced new leadership with continuing change across the area.
On Friday, Kaufman Independent School District named Dr. Joshua Garcia as the lone finalist for superintendent, according to district leaders. Garcia is currently the superintendent of Rockport-Fulton ISD in Rockport, Texas, where Kaufman ISD said he led the district through a long-range facilities master planning process that resulted in the passage of a $66 million facilities bond, increased the district's fund balance, and expanded opportunities for students.
On Feb. 13, 2023, Kaufman ISD Superintendent Lori Blaylock announced her retirement to the district's board of education during a board meeting. The board accepted her retirement date of December 2023.
Garcia has been a professional educator for 24 years with 19 years spent in leadership roles at three levels—elementary, middle school, and high school. Garcia also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middle Tennessee State University, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Education from The University of Texas at Arlington, and a Doctor of Education from Dallas Baptist University.
"It is exciting to welcome a new leader that is committed to building on the unique strengths of the Kaufman ISD and the greater Kaufman community," Byron Gregg said, president of the Kaufman ISD Board.
Garcia is married to Olga Garcia, a bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher. They are parents to three children: Caleb Garcia, Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army; Michaela Garcia, nursing student at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; and Kristen Garcia, a marketing major at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
There has been a recent rise in superintendents leaving the education industry in parts of the U.S., forcing many districts to deal with shifts in their leadership teams.
North Texas is in the middle of its own transition period. From November 2021 through February 2022, 11 superintendents from 11 local school districts announced they would be leaving, resigning or retiring from their leadership positions.
Three happened on the same day: Jan. 13, 2022.
Since March 2022, six more North Texas superintendents, including Blaylock, have also stepped down.