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West Orange-Cove CISD has begun searching for a new superintendent after Rickie Harris announced his retirement. Harris had served as superintendent for 10 years.

The search will be done internally by the board of trustees and will be confidential, meaning that the public will not know who the candidates are until the announcement of the Lone Finalist date. The board has, however, asked for feedback from the community and held a survey for the parents to share their thoughts. The survey is now closed.

Harris is scheduled to stay as superintendent until Dec. 31, when his retirement is officially set to begin. After that date, he will begin his role as superintendent emeritus, a position that will act as a consultant to the board and the new superintendent. 

Applications for the position of superintendent will run until the deadline, March 28. The search process will be done by the WO-C CISD school board with applications available on the school district’s website. Interviews are planned from April 7-9 for a selection of applicants. The Lone Finalist will be announced April 28, with the official hiring date being May 19 and the start date being June 2. 

“The superintendent that we are looking to employ after Dr. Harris is going to be an individual who is knowledgeable about public education and in this day and age and is going to be a strong leader diversified in many areas of public education, ready to grasp the needs of students of West Orange Cove CISD,” Linda Platt -Bryant, President of the West Orange Cove CISD school board, said.

The board states that the position is open to any and all potentially qualified candidates from both external or internal sources. The new superintendent will begin after the school year has ended to prepare for the upcoming school year.

“I have truly enjoyed my time as an educator- from teaching my son to read while he sat in the back seat as we drove 50 miles each way to my first principal’s position, to escorting my daughter as part of her senior homecoming court at WOS. I can truly say that the education profession has given me more than I could have ever dreamed,” Harris stated in a press release.