Gasaway one of 30 candidates for MFISD superintendent

During the Marble Falls Independent School District board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21, trustees held two executive sessions to discuss the hiring process for a new superintendent. Screen-captured image
Interim Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway is one of 30 people who applied for the Marble Falls Independent School District superintendent position left open when Dr. Chris Allen left to take over at Midway ISD near Waco. Allen’s last day was Jan. 25.
Since Allen’s resignation, the board has held several executive sessions to discuss the search process, including a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The board went into executive session twice that evening.
Earlier in the process, trustees decided against hiring a headhunter. Instead, they opted to go with the district’s law firm to facilitate collecting applications and vetting candidates. The job was posted Feb. 1; applications were accepted for 14 days.
“We are sorting through applications,” board President Kevin Naumann told DailyTrib.com. “Next step, we’ll start with a round of interviews.”
The first interviews are set for Feb. 27 with more to follow on March 1 and March 3, if necessary, Naumann said. Interviews will be conducted in executive session.
Naumann said the board was not ready to release names just yet.
At least one person let trustees know he didn’t see any reason to do a nationwide search.
Marble Falls High School choir director Bryce Gage made an impassioned plea to stop the superintendent search and just let Gasaway do the job he is already doing as interim. Gage said he “received a shock” when he learned an outside search was underway.
“You didn’t even give him a chance as interim before you opened up applications,” he said during the public comment portion of the Tuesday meeting. “You didn’t get to watch him work two jobs all at once and evaluate his performance.”
School trustees have a duty to look at other candidates, Naumann said after the meeting.
During the meeting and immediately following Gage’s statement, Naumann looked over at the man sitting in the superintendent’s chair at the dais.
“Dr. Gasaway,” he said, “you look good sitting in that chair, by the way.”