North Texas e-News

In a unanimous decision, the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees approved Dr. J.D. Kennedy as the lone finalist for the position of McKinney ISD Superintendent of Schools. The decision was made following an extensive statewide and national search that began this past August. Dr. Kennedy is currently the Superintendent of Schools for Midlothian ISD, located between Mansfield and Waxahachie just southwest of Dallas. He has served in this role for seven years and is currently in his 35th year as an educator.

"We are excited to name Dr. Kennedy as the finalist for the position," said Lewis Isaacks, McKinney ISD Board President. "He has demonstrated outstanding abilities as both a leader and innovator in the districts in which he has served."

Prior to serving in Midlothian, Dr. Kennedy was Superintendent of Schools in Decatur ISD, north of Fort Worth. He has also served as Assistant Superintendent of Schools at Waco-Midway ISD, a principal and assistant principal at Allen ISD, a teacher and counselor at Richardson ISD, and a teacher and coordinator in North East ISD (San Antonio) and Southwest ISD. Last year, Midlothian ISD reached the "Exemplary" level in 22 of 25 academic measures. The majority of schools in the district have earned "Recognized" or "Exemplary" status. Dr. Kennedy was also responsible for initiating the Midlothian Education Foundation, which has awarded over $140,000 to teachers for innovative teaching grants. The district enrolls roughly 7,400 students, and has increased 30% in student enrollment since his arrival in 2003.

"The superintendent position at McKinney ISD is a tremendous honor and opportunity," said Dr. Kennedy. "Tom Crowe has done an exceptional job in McKinney and his shoes will be a challenge to fill. At this time in my career I can think of no place I would rather be than McKinney ISD. The quality of staff is unsurpassed and the community has demonstrated over the years a strong support for its schools."

The Board of Trustees worked for the past several months with search firm School Executive Consulting, led by former Texas Education Commissioner Mike Moses and education attorney David Thompson. The search began after current superintendent Tom Crowe announced his plans to retire at the end of this year. The process began with several community focus groups in order to develop a superintendent profile. The Board of Trustees narrowed the candidates through a series of discussions and interviews and approved Dr. Kennedy as the finalist last Wednesday. They described the process as extremely competitive with a strong applicant pool. The district must now wait the state required 21 days before an agreement can be finalized. Contingent upon successful contract negotiations, Dr. Kennedy would become McKinney ISD Superintendent of Schools effective January 1, 2010.

"Dr. Kennedy not only focuses on serving the needs of all students, but places great emphasis and value on creating a great work environment for teachers and staff," said Board President Lewis Isaacks.

The Dallas Business Journal recently recognized Midlothian ISD as the 4th Best Place to work in the metroplex among large companies (over 500 employees). More than 400 companies were considered and the selection was based upon a number of indicators, including: work environment, innovations/new ideas, people practices, personal growth and development, leadership, employee recognition and the structure of the day-to-day operations.

Dr. Kennedy has also focused much of his efforts on managing significant enrollment growth in Midlothian ISD by working with the community, staff, and Board of Trustees to implement a long-range facilities plan through the Midlothian ISD Growth Management Committee. The community has supported bond authorizations of $117,785,000 to renovate existing facilities and provide for future enrollment growth.

Dr. Kennedy received his Doctorate in Education Administration from Texas A&M University at Commerce, a Master of Arts in Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science/Secondary Education from Baylor University. He has worked as an educational consultant in Haiti and Kosovo, and as an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas.

His wife, Pam, is a Diagnostician/Special Education Counselor in Waxahachie ISD and they have two sons who are Baylor University alumni. They are also proud grandparents of a beautiful granddaughter.

"On a personal note, it will be a great opportunity to reconnect with friends from having lived in the North Dallas area for fifteen years," stated Dr. Kennedy. "Pam's parents live in McKinney and it will be great to be close to them. I look forward to this opportunity to serve such a highly successful school district and will work to make McKinney ISD even better. The Strategic Plan that was developed this past year has laid the foundation for great things to come in McKinney. As my two-year old granddaughter Norah Grace often says, 'I excited!'"

Dr. Kennedy's professional career experience: