Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox received praise from the Longview ISD trustees during his annual evaluation Monday night, with the board unanimously approving him serving another year at the district.
Board president Dr. Mark Camp said the trustees met with Wilcox in executive session on March 5th following their regular meeting to share the results of their evaluation.
'While we understand that no human being is perfect at every aspect of their job, the board is overwhelmingly happy with the job Dr. Wilcox is doing,' he said. 'His vision and implementation of programs that serve our diverse population of students is to be commended. He also leads the district with a strong sense of financial accountability, allowing our Board to approve budgetary items that are intended to improve the academic performance of our students.'
The sentiment was echoed by the rest of the board both during and after the meeting.
In an interview with the Longview News-Journal, Place 2 trustee Mrs. Ava Welge said, though she had concerns with Wilcox before being elected, she’s on board 'as long as he effectively does what he's been doing.'
'I can't argue with success,' she said. 'Just watching them do what they're doing is amazing. That did win me over. ... Nine months later, I'm very impressed.'
Place 4 trustee Mrs. Ginia Northcutt agreed, and told the News-Journal that the setup has worked well for the district, pointing out rising test scores and the addition of the new Montessori campus as evidence.
Northcutt said students across the board are performing better than they were five years ago, and students have more opportunities that might not be provided to them in other districts.
Former LISD board member Judson Murray said he was not surprised by the glowing evaluation.
'Since joining the Board, Mrs. Welge is now privy to all the work, history, and circumstances of the current administration,' he said. 'Her affirmative vote for the current superintendent is the predictable outcome of her knowledge and experience.'
Dr. Wilcox was first hired as superintendent in 2007. He retired at the end of 2011 but was hired back at the beginning of 2012.
