Plainview ISD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez, Ed.D., has been selected by TASA as Texas’ nominee for 2022 National Superintendent of the Year, an award given by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
Sanchez has served as superintendent of Plainview ISD, a district of nearly 5,000 students in the Texas Panhandle, since 2018. Prior to that, he was superintendent of Tucson Unified School District in Arizona for four years. He has also served as a teacher, coach, principal, and in a number of administrative positions during his 23-year career in education.
“The goal of the Plainview ISD teaching and learning approach is to create a turnkey system for instruction,” Sanchez said. “… Ultimately, our goal is for principals and teachers to have the time to focus on student relationships while creating fun and engaging learning opportunities. Students learn best when they are having fun, and teachers teach best when they are supported. This may not sound scientific, but Plainview ISD’s data illustrates otherwise.”
Sanchez earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Angelo State University, master’s degree in school administration from Sul Ross State University, and doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
He has been a member of TASA since 2018 and also belongs to the Texas Association of Community Schools, Mexican American School Board Association, Texas Association of Business Officials, and Friends of Texas Public Schools.
In September 2021, following Sanchez’s selection as Region 17 Superintendent of the Year, the Texas Association of School Boards named him the 2021 Texas Superintendent of the Year. Now, as a state nominee for AASA National Superintendent of the Year, Sanchez will be considered by a panel of judges from across the U.S. that will select four finalists to be interviewed in January. The 2022 National Superintendent of the Year will be announced and the state nominees honored at AASA’s National Conference on Education, February 17-19, 2022, in Nashville.
