Arlington ISD’s Dr. Marcelo Cavazos Named Region 11 Superintendent of the Year

By Arlington Independent School District

Posted on June 30, 2016, June 30, 2016

Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent of the Arlington ISD, has been
selected as the Region 11 Superintendent of the Year for 2016 by a selection panel this week.

The Superintendent of the Year Award, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards, honors outstanding Texas administrators for achievement and excellence in public school administration.

Cavazos has served the Arlington ISD for 16 years, with the past three and a half years as its superintendent. Prior to that, he has served the district as an associate superintendent for instruction, deputy superintendent and interim superintendent.

Candidates for the award must be nominated by their school boards and are chosen for their strong leadership skills, dedication to improving the quality of education in their districts, commitment to public support and involvement in education, and ability to build good employee relations among teachers and staff members.

In his application for the Superintendent of the Year award, Cavazos " school board writes that, since he became the interim superintendent in 2012, "the district is known for its unique opportunities for students of all backgrounds technical dual credit, career certifications, AISD Police and Fire Academies, STEM Academy, Arlington Collegiate High School at TCC Southeast, Teacher Academy, guaranteed college early admission programs, instrument repair program, fine arts dual credit, two elementary fine arts/dual language academies, community-based pre-K, etc. "

In addition, they noted that his constant message is that improvement is the only non-negotiable and that education is the great equalizer for students.

The selection panel was extremely impressed with the achievements that Cavazos has made as superintendent.

"Dr. Cavazos has led the district to develop partnerships with Tarrant County College and the University of Texas at Arlington for the Arlington ISD students so they can follow those dreams down a seamless path, " noted Dr. Ann Calahan, trustee for the Stephenville
ISD.

Bobby J. Rigues, trustee for the Aledo ISD, also served as a member of the selection panel. "Dr. Cavazos exemplifies more than just the necessary qualifications to be an outstanding educational leader; his sincere passion for student achievement at all levels is a professional cornerstone for all to admire, " Rigues noted.

As the Region 11 winner, Cavazos will move on to the state level of the competition. The state winner will be announced at the Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards (TASA/TASB) joint annual convention in September.

ESC Region 11 serves 77 school districts and 52 charter schools in the north central Texas area.

Also nominated for this year "s award were Gary Dugger from Kennedale ISD, Dr. James Largent from Granbury ISD, Dr. Darrell Brown from Birdville ISD, Dr. Robin Ryan from Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Dr. Bret Jimerson from Burleson ISD and Steve Clugston from Callisburg ISD.