Edgewood makes new boss’ hiring official
The Edgewood Independent School District board voted Tuesday to formally hire Eduardo Hernandez as its new superintendent.
Hernandez is the chief academic officer at Duncanville ISD, a small district south of Dallas. But he grew up in a neighborhood similar to those in Edgewood.
“He remembers the struggles, the disappointments, doing with less but always striving for more,” board President Roy Richard said as he introduced Hernandez at the board meeting. “He remembers being knocked down but always remembers brushing himself off, standing up and continuing to move forward.”
How Hernandez grew up is how many of the 11,000 students in the high-poverty district of Edgewood are growing up, Soto said. When the board sought community input for hiring the superintendent, students said they wanted someone they could connect with, Soto said.
Soto also noted similarities between Duncanville, which enrolls nearly 12,800 students, and Edgewood, which has an enrollment of more than 11,000, as a factor in the decision.
Edgewood’s state-appointed board of managers named Hernandez as the sole finalist for the superintendent job May 24. By law, the board had to wait 21 days before voting on the hire. His start date is July 1.
Edgewood ISD is hosting a community meet-and-greet with Hernandez at 5 p.m. next Tuesday at the District Conference Center.
Hernandez was joined by his mother, mentor and other family members at Tuesday night’s meeting.
He said his parents instilled in him a spirit that he could do whatever he wanted as long as he worked, a lesson he said he teaches his daughter and students.
“The power is when you get up,” he said.
His daughter, a senior in high school, will stay in Dallas with his parents to graduate with her class, Hernandez said.
Hernandez is replacing Emilio Castro, who resigned in March amid a sexual harassment complaint.
The board has been working to stabilize the district’s leadership since it was appointed by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to replace Edgewood’s elected board two years ago. Morath acted to break a monthslong 3-3 voting deadlock by trustees unable to agree on how to fill a board vacancy, hire a superintendent or appoint school principals.