Katy ISD names finalist to replace retiring superintendent

By Sebastian Herrera June 10, 2016 Updated: June 10, 2016 8:47pm

On Friday, June 10, 2016 Katy ISD trustees named Lawrence Hindt, superintendent at Dallas-area Allen ISD, as the sole finalist to replace retiring KISD Superintendent Alton Frailey. On Friday, June 10, 2016 Katy ISD trustees named Lawrence Hindt, superintendent at Dallas-area Allen ISD, as the sole finalist to replace retiring KISD Superintendent Alton Frailey.

The Katy Independent School District board of trustees on Friday named Lawrence Hindt the sole finalist to replace KISD superintendent Alton Frailey, who is retiring after nine years at the helm of the suburban district.

It's a homecoming for Hindt. He is a 1983 graduate of KISD's James E. Taylor High Schoo. For the past two years, he has been superintendent at the Dallas area Allen ISD.

Hindt will be joining a district that, like Allen, shares a rich high school football tradition. Allen ISD has won five state football titles to Katy's record-tying eight. He will also be replacing a superintendent who has led Katy ISD as it grew by more than 40 percent to 73,000 students.

"To have an opportunity to come back and give back to a community that gave so much to me – it's beyond describable," Hindt said Friday. "This is a great community and a high performing district. When you're at the top, you have to find the areas to improve, and that's what we're going to set out to do in these next few months to a year."

Katy ISD covers 181 square miles over Harris, Fort Bend and Waller County. It is the eight largest district in the state and has added 12 new schools during Frailey's tenure. Its high test scores and programs have become recognized state-wide, and this year, it was named the best public school district in the Houston area by the review site Niche.

In his current position, Hindt handled repairing the Allen district's controversial $60 million football stadium, which at the time was the most costly in the state before being toppled by Katy ISD's $62.5 million stadium that is being constructed.

Hindt joined Allen ISD as the school district was in the midst of having to repair the 18,000-seat stadium after large foundation cracks made it unsafe. The stadium drew criticism from many first because of its price and size and then because of the construction mishap.

Katy's own 12,000-seat new stadium has split the community since it was approved by voters in 2014 because of its price and location, which is directly next to the district's Rhodes Stadium.

"It's two different controversies," Hindt said. "In Allen ... we were able to get the stadium repaired. In Katy, they have a stadium that is badly needed – let's face it. It's a district with eight high schools and they're playing out of one stadium.

"Allen is a strong football school district. So is Katy. But you know what? There's a whole heck of a lot more these schools offer than championship football teams."

Hindt has also served as the superintendent for Stafford Municipal School District in Fort Bend County. He was also once an assistant superintendent at Fort Bend ISD.

"Our community came together and designed a profile of a superintended - what they wanted that would match the values of our community. Dr. Hindt just shined," said KISD board of trustee's president Rebecca Fox. "His love for his community. His love for his students. His attitude towards teachers and the importance of the job they do. His connection because he came from Katy. He's watched our community for all those years, so he understands who we are."

After Frailey announced his retirement in January, trustees hired representatives from the Houston law firm Thompson and Horton LLP to conduct a search for Frailey's replacement.

The search consultants, David Thompson, a Houston lawyer, and Mike Moses, a former Texas commissioner of education, advertised nation-wide for candidates, eventually landing on about 25 individuals for initial interviews. The list then got narrowed to a handful of candidates before trustees eventually chose one.

Frailey, the first black superintendent in the district's history, has become a widely recognized figure in the area. But to his critics, he has also been controlling and influenced trustees too much in their decisions. Others have also criticized him of being guarded about the release of information from the district.

"Nobody has higher expectations than I do," Hindt said of improving the school district's legacy. "Complacency is a curse, and we're not going to be complacent."

Frailey is scheduled to retire this summer. Legally, Hindt cannot sign a contract with Katy ISD until 21 days after being named the finalist. He is tentatively scheduled to begin as the superintendent around Aug. 1.

Hindt told a crowd of dozens gathered at the district's education complex on Friday that he is "home." Those in the board chamber, which included teachers, administrators and community members, stood to cheer and clap before gathering around Hindt to meet him.