Northside ISD Superintendent Dr. Brian T. Woods has been selected as one of four finalists for 2019 National Superintendent of the Year®, an award given by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
Woods and the other finalists, who include superintendents representing Georgia, Idaho, and Indiana, were chosen from among 49 state Superintendents of the Year for the national award program, co-sponsored by VALIC, First Student and AASA. Now in its 32nd year, the program measures candidates against the following criteria: leadership for learning, professionalism and community involvement.
“We are incredibly proud of Brian Woods!” said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA, which nominated Woods for the national honor. “His exceptional leadership skills, impeccable character, strong sense of mission and articulate voice for all public education children are an inspiration to all of us.”
Woods has served as superintendent of Northside ISD in San Antonio for six years, but has worked in the district since 1992, when he began his career as a social studies teacher at Marshall High School. As an assistant principal, he helped open O’Connor High School then served as vice principal and principal at Clark High School. His career with Northside ISD also includes service as assistant superintendent for secondary administration and deputy superintendent.
Woods says he is proud that Northside ISD, despite rapid growth during the past 30 years and a student population of more than 106,000, has retained the feel of a much smaller district with a strong sense of community.
“In Northside, engagement of our stakeholders has played a crucial role in our success,” he says. “At the campus and district level, we involve our whole community as a means of keeping them informed, eliciting their input and support, and fostering an environment of shared responsibility and accountability. I have no doubt that the success of our students and the quality of our programs depends greatly on this engagement.”
In September, following his selection as Region 20 Superintendent of the Year, the Texas Association of School Boards named Woods the 2018 Texas Superintendent of the Year. Then, in November, Woods was named the Texas nominee for AASA National Superintendent of the Year by TASA.
Woods and the other finalists will be interviewed by a national blue-ribbon panel in Washington, D.C. Jan. 10. The 2019 National Superintendent of the Year® will be announced at AASA’s National Conference on Education in Los Angeles Feb. 14. A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the National Superintendent of the Year® to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area. Woods is a graduate of Clear Lake High School in Clear Creek ISD.
