Sunnyvale ISD superintendent resigns to protect public school interests

SUNNYVALE, Texas – Superintendent of Sunnyvale ISD in Far East County Dallas is retiring after 16 years on the job.

Doug Williams led the top-ranked Sunnyvale area through skyrocketing growth and the construction of new schools. He says his retirement is a repurposing of his role to further protect public schools across the state.

Williams has led the district through expansion, but he does not retreat into the political and cultural discourse that has infiltrated the public education system and school boards.

“It’s an opportunity for me to leave at a good time for our school district so that the new superintendent doesn’t inherit a situation where they have a dysfunctional council or have a divided community,” he explained.

Williams says he’s worried about what’s happening with education today.

“I think most of the perception is that public education is failing. This couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “I think a lot of this is coming from people who want vouchers to be inserted.”

The voucher program would allow public money to be used for scholarships to private schools, taking funding away from public school districts.

The desire for vouchers, Williams believes, is behind the cultural issues that have infiltrated public school discourse.

“Can we reconsider the need to choose a school because schools promote critical racial theory? They promote things that are contrary to the conservative system, and this is very far from the truth, ”he said.

The superintendent said he tweeted Gov. Greg Abbott last month after Abbott posted that Texas leads the nation in blue ribbon public schools.

“If you believe in the system, why are you promoting a voucher system that will only hurt public ED?” the Superintendent tweeted to Abbott. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Williams says he has never had a sit-down with the governor, but he hopes it can happen because he says there are some issues that state leaders need to address in order to have quality public education in Texas.

“What can be fixed is adequate funding for local control, and then we have to change how we actively recruit teachers,” he said.

Williams says the best decision of his professional career was to take the county 16 years ago.

“My departure does not mean that something will change here,” he said. “It’s all about the culture and people of Sunnyvale and the Raiders will continue to grow.”

Williams says he is leaving, most likely in the summer, but will be in Austin next week to meet with lawmakers. He also expects a bill on vouchers at this session, which he intends to oppose.