ISD Arlington Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazosa Announces Retirement

ARLINGTON, TX (CBSDFW.COM) — After more than a decade in charge of the Arlington Independent School District, Dr. Marcelo Cavazos surprised staff and families on Thursday by announcing that he will step down from this position at the end of this year.

Kavazos’ decision comes just over a month after he signed a contract extension to stay at Arlington until 2027.

However, in an interview on Thursday, he said he had been considering the decision for a while, and the time had come and the county was in good hands to move on without him.

In a statement on the county website, Kavazos was praised as a humble and dedicated leader who came to the county in 1999 and took over as superintendent in 2012. He created 13 specialized academies and supervised the adoption of two bond measures totaling new facilities.

The opportunities now available to students were what Cavazos said he was most proud of leaving this position.

Arlington became the last major school district in the region to see a leadership change. Kavazos, in particular, has weathered the pandemic and a couple of years of increased parental focus on schooling.

He described this period as a challenge, but also an opportunity to see the county’s strengths.

The future challenges for his successor will be the same as every year, he said, including budget, facilities, testing and curriculum. The answers, he says, will always come from a commitment to service before trying to resolve difficult issues.

“We have our own problems and disagreements,” said Kavazos. “In that sense, we are a normal school district. But we are unique in the sense that we work interdependently. We have always approached this work interdependently. the needs of our students. So, I feel like now is the right time, because the conditions are like this, at Arlington ISD.”

The South Texas native who grew up picking okra in the summer and is grateful to his mother for pushing him into education doesn’t know what’s next. He admitted that he would not miss long hours every day of the week.

He is one of the highest paid major district superintendents in the region, with a contract that will net him over $408,000 if he stays until the end of August.