Finalist poised for top job in Aldine ISD
Lufkin leader would be first black woman to head the district
Like many of the students in Aldine ISD, where she’s poised to become the district’s new superintendent, LaTonya Goffney knows about living in poverty.
Born to a 15-year-old mother and an absentee father and raised by a grandmother who worked as a housekeeper, Goffney had little growing up in rural Coldspring, located on the edge of Sam Houston National Forest. What Goffney did have: educators at school who tapped in to her potential, guiding her to college and a career.
“I remember in kindergarten, there were teachers telling me I was smart, and I didn’t even know what ‘smart’ was,” Goffney, 41, said Thursday. “I had teachers who motivated me and helped me and taught me. Basically, I want to give that gift to others.”
Goffney will get that chance in Aldine, the region’s fifth-largest school district, after trustees there voted 5-2 on Tuesday to name her the lone finalist for superintendent. Goffney, the reigning Texas Association of School Boards superintendent of the year, has spent the past five years leading Lufkin ISD, an 8,000-student district about 100 miles northeast of Houston.
Under state law, school boards must name a lone finalist and wait 21 days before signing an employment contract. If approved, Goffney would become the first African-American superintendent of Aldine ISD. She would oversee more than 70,000 students, the most among female superintendents in Texas. Outgoing Aldine ISD Superintendent Wanda Bamberg, who is
retiring after 11 years at the district’s helm, previously held that distinction.
“Aldine has always been in the back of my mind as one of the great districts in the state,” Goffney said. “I want to build on the legacy of Dr. Bamberg.”
From humble roots, Goffney quickly became a sought-after leader in education.
After graduating from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville — working as a prison guard for 2½ years to help pay her way through college — Goffney returned to Coldspring to become a middle-school teacher. Eight years later, after stints as an assistant principal and principal, Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD trustees named Goffney the district’s superintendent at age 31.
‘We’re lucky’ to find her
Five years later, Goffney jumped to Lufkin, where she developed a reputation for engaging parents, focusing on literacy among lower-income students and establishing community partnerships. The district’s performance on state standardized tests dipped slightly relative to the statewide average, but its graduation rate rose 4 percent.
Goffney also created new Hispanic outreach efforts in Lufkin, engaging mothers who eventually formed Nuestras Madres, a committee centered on improving district-parent communication. Nearly three-quarters of Aldine ISD students are Hispanic.
Aldine ISD Board President Steve Mead said trustees considered six candidates, then conducted follow-up interviews with two finalists. They selected Goffney after two trustees visited Lufkin on Monday and discussed her tenure with several education and community leaders.
“She’s done many great things in both areas that she’s been in, and we were just lucky to find a candidate like her,” Mead said. “When she came to Lufkin, they were doing the same things for a long period of time, and she went in and challenged people to do better.”
‘Fresh ideas’
Trustees Rose Avalos and Viola Garcia voted against Goffney’s selection Tuesday on procedural grounds, arguing board members did not have enough time to fully vet Goffney. Garcia also said trustees did not adequately consider surveys of community members, who voiced opinions about qualities they want in a new superintendent.
“It’s not necessarily anything about her,” Garcia said. “It’s an incomplete process.”
Candis Houston, president of the Aldine American Federation of Teachers, said she believes her union’s members wanted to see an outside candidate hired.
“We are excited about Dr. Goffney,” Houston said. “All of the superintendents we’ve had were hired from within. So, people felt like we were not getting fresh ideas.”
Bamberg is expected to remain through the end of the school year and aid in the transition, with an emphasis on preparing to open eight new campuses next year.