Ector County ISD’s Scott Muri named state finalist for Superintendent of the Year
Ector County Independent School District Superintendent Scott Muri has been named among five state finalists for the Texas Association of School Boards’ (TASB) annual Superintendent of the Year award.
Muri was previously announced as Superintendent of the Year for Region 18, which includes 33 school district in 19 counties. He joins Jenny McGown (Klein ISD, Superintendent of the Year for Region 4), Thurston Lamb, (Henderson ISD, Region 7), Bobby Ott (Temple ISD, Region 12) and Doug Killian, (Pflugerville ISD, Region 13) as state finalists.
A TASB committee made up of school board members selected the finalists after interviewing 20 nominees from every region in the state from Aug. 26-27. According to TASB, the candidates were evaluated on their work in improving student outcomes and commitment to innovation and leadership, among other factors.
Muri joined Ector County ISD as superintendent in July 2019 and previously served as superintendent of Spring Branch ISD in Houston for four years. Muri’s leadership is credited with reducing teacher vacancies from 356 to 51 in two years, expanding pre-K to include a full-day program for 4-years-olds and a half-day program for 3-year-olds, and increased kindergarten readiness by 13 percent.
“In selecting Muri as a state finalist, the committee highlighted Muri’s work in improving academics among the district’s 33,500 enrolled students, his commitment to teacher training and board relations, and his focus on meaningful equity work,” according to TASB.
In 34 years in public education, Muri has held leadership positions in large districts including Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina and Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, and in unique settings such as Walt Disney’s Celebration School in Celebration, Fla.
“We are thrilled about being able to recognize outstanding school superintendents across Texas,” TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell said in a statement. “The job of a superintendent has never been tougher or any more important than it is today. An excellent superintendent working within a district’s team of eight is essential to student success and achievement, and we’re so impressed with the talent here in Texas.”
As state finalists, the superintendents will advance to the next stage of the competition, which will take place at the TASB Convention in San Antonio from Sept. 23-25. The winner will be announced on Saturday, Sept. 24.
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