District taps Edwards as superintendent
The Bastrop school board voted unanimously May 23 to hire Barry Edwards as the school district’s new superintendent.
Edwards had served as interim superintendent since Jan. 1, after Steve Murray resigned.
“Mr. Edwards has demonstrated the kind of thoughtful leadership and guidance that Bastrop ISD needs,” board president Ashley Mutschink said last month when Edwards was named the lone finalist. “We are confident we have selected the best person to lead us forward. Barry is committed to BISD, understands the district’s challenges, and cares deeply about finding solutions that will be best for kids.”
Edwards was selected as the lone finalist for the job May 2. He was the only candidate to apply for the position after the school board April 17 decided to post the position for internal candidates only. After a “thorough search process,” the board was confident it made the right choice in selecting Edwards to lead the district, Mutschink said.
As part of the search process, Leasor Crass, the company hired to lead the superintendent search, developed a community survey and hosted four meetings where participants weighed in on what they’d like to see in a new top administrator.
Mutschink said the board reviewed the 496 responses it received to the survey as well as feedback from residents who participated in the focus meetings to develop a superintendent profile.
After reviewing the profile, the school board determined an internal candidate would result in hiring the best person for the job, Mutschink said in April.
“I understand the tremendous responsibility I am accepting as the superintendent of Bastrop schools, and I want to commit to everyone in this room, and to the board, that I will do this with every bit of effort that I have for the betterment of this school district, the community, the teachers, and most importantly, for our kids,” Edwards said.
Before being named interim superintendent, Edwards had served as assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent for Bastrop schools for 10 years. His career in education spans 29 years.
Before joining the Bastrop school district, Edwards served in the El Paso area as assistant superintendent of administrative services for the Socorro school district and as employee relations director for the Ysleta school district. He also has experience as a school principal at the elementary and secondary levels, as well as a classroom teacher. Edwards’ new salary is $215,000. Murray, who had served as superintendent since 2010, announced his resignation in November, a week after Bastrop school district voters rejected an $88.5 million school bond, with 64 percent of voters turning it down. It was the second school bond voters rejected in as many years.