HISD trustees believe superintendent search could last 6 to 9 months
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A nationwide search will get underway to find HISD's next superintendent.
Dr. Grenita Lathan has served as interim superintendent for more than two years. In a 6 to 3 vote on Thursday, trustees voted not to give her the permanent position.
RELATED: HISD chooses not to name Lathan permanent superintendent
How did trustees vote?
Kathy Blueford-Daniels, Wanda Adams and Patricia Allen voted in favor of giving Dr. Lathan the permanent job.
"We just did her evaluation," Allen said. "She got a very good evaluation. So in my opinion, she was deserving of the title."
Annie Sung, Daniela Hernandez, Elizabeth Santos, Sue Deigaard, Judith Cruz and Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca were in favor of launching a nationwide search.
"The Houston community, our constituents, taxpayers, educators and especially our students, deserves a fair and transparent process for selecting our next permanent superintendent," Sung said in a statement. "A superintendent search run by a professional firm will give Houston's diverse stakeholders equal voice in developing a profile that drives the selection process."
What will the nationwide search look like and how long will it take?
Details surrounding the search have not been released.
In an interview Friday, Trustee Kathy Blueford-Daniels said she has been told the process can last six to nine months and cost up to $250,000. But she also said she has not been a part of a similar search before and does not have firsthand knowledge.
SEE ALSO: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner irate over HISD interim superintendent swap
Will Dr. Grenita Lathan enter the running in the nationwide search?
The interim-superintendent does have the ability to apply for the job, but she has not announced that she would.
Grenita released the following statement on Friday:
"I respect the decision of the HISD Board of Education to resume the search for a superintendent. Just as my focus has been for the past five years in HISD, my goal remains the same: to continue to achieve academic excellence in the district and support each and every student, parent, and staff member to the best of our team's abilities."
Where does HISD stand as far as the TEA takeover?
Litigation is still pending to determine if TEA will be able to take over the district. When asked for an update on the status of that process and a comment about the board's vote concerning superintendent, they declined to comment.
