HUTTO – The Hutto Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Dr. Raúl Peña as lone finalist for district superintendent. The announcement came at a special- called meeting Aug. 10 at the Administration Building Board Room, 200 College Street.
Peña entered the packed room to applause as he thanked the board for its confidence in naming him.
“I look forward to meeting each and every one of you, our stakeholders, our students, our teachers and just continuing the strong cadence of creating world class problem solvers and 21st century learners, but most importantly, being part of Hippo Nation,” he said.
Peña is currently the Chief Talent Officer at Fort Worth ISD, serving more than 75,000 students and 11,000 staff members.
Information released from Hutto ISD says Peña’s experience includes Chief of Elementary Schools in Fort Worth ISD overseeing 76 campuses, executive director in Dallas ISD, principal and assistant principal in Irving ISD, principal in Lewisville ISD and bilingual teacher in Dallas ISD.
Peña holds his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Education from Texas Woman’s University. He also completed the Harvard National Institute for Urban School Leaders.
“A lifelong, bilingual educator, Dr. Peña has a proven record of school improvement, authentic community engagement and high-quality instructional practices. He and his wife, Misti, have three children and are looking forward to making Hutto their home,” according to the district.
The lone finalist announcement caps a 13-week search for a candidate to lead the district. Peña was chosen from among 54 applicants nationwide.
“It was a very tight turnaround as we wanted to have someone in place to make the transition from Dr. Thomas’ last days to the new person starting,” said Board President Billie Logiudice.
“We were very intentional about getting everybody’s input. We are really thankful our community was so engaged in this process,” she said.
Texas law mandates a minimum 21-day waiting period before the finalist can officially be installed as superintendent. Pending official approval of his contract, Peña will begin his role as Hutto ISD superintendent Sept. 1.
