The Irving Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees, at a special-called meeting this evening, named Dr. Jose L. Parra as its Lone Finalist for Superintendent of Schools. The district now enters the state-required 21 day waiting period prior to offering Parra a contract. It is anticipated that a contract will be executed on December 12 and that Dr. Parra will begin service in January of 2014.
“Dr. Parra stood out as a fantastic candidate,” says Dr. Steven Jones, president of the Irving ISD school board. “Dr. Parra is a student-focused, visionary leader with high academic standards and expectations. Everything he does is for the benefit of his students.”
Members of the Irving ISD Board of Trustees visited Lockhart ISD where Parra is in his sixth year as superintendent. “After visiting with teachers, principals, coaches, school board and community members, it is apparent that Dr. Parra is a special man, and judging from the tears, the Lockhart community is very sad to see him go.”
Raised in New Braunfels, Texas, Dr. Parra is a graduate of Canyon High School in the Comal Independent School District. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio, administrative certification from Trinity University in San Antonio, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Parra is in his 26th year of serving public school education in Texas. During those years, he has served as a high school English teacher in the Seguin and New Braunfels ISDs, six years as a district-level administrator in the New Braunfels ISD, eight years as a campus administrator in the Wylie ISD, three years as an Assistant Superintendent in the Kerrville ISD, and is in his sixth year as Superintendent in the Lockhart Independent School District. Additionally, he has taught English and Educational Administration courses at the college and university levels.
Among the various honors that he has earned, Dr. Parra has been recognized as a Comal Independent School District Outstanding Graduate, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellow, a Texas Excellence Award in Teaching Nominee, and a Jefferson Award Nominee for Significant Public Service Work. Most recently, Dr. Parra has been honored with a continued appointment as the sole superintendent on the Commissioner’s Advisory Council for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students.
Dr. Parra says his interest in Irving ISD stems primarily from his belief that there is an alignment between the Irving ISD’s vision of “Excellence and Equity for All” and his leadership vision. He also believes in the District’s stated mission to “engage learners to become critical thinkers, leaders and contributors in a diverse and competitive world.” Dr. Parra also says, “The only limits for any child are those that the child has learned to believe are stronger than his unlimited potential. I believe, as does the Irving ISD Board of Trustees, that all children can transcend their circumstances and reach their potential through the focused efforts and caring support of the amazing staff members in the Irving ISD. I look forward to becoming part of the Irving ISD team that proves, each and every day, that Children Come First.”
Irving ISD serves approximately 35,400 students across 36 campuses. The district has received a number of academic accolades including being one of only 14 districts in Texas named to the AP® District Honor Roll and one of only 23 districts selected for the High Performance Schools Consortium. Three high schools – MacArthur, Nimitz and Singley Academy – received the Silver Badge Award from U.S. News & World Report in 2013, ranking them among the top 10 percent of high schools nationwide. Irving ISD is also home to the largest net-zero middle school in the country and the only one in Texas. In addition, the district is well known for its fiscal excellence and strong financial ratings.
