FORT BEND COUNTY – Parents and guardians who have children who attend school in Fort Bend County may soon see daily changes after the superintendent shared that she would soon be stepping into retirement in an unexpected announcement on Friday.
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According to a letter written by superintendent Dr. Christie Whitbeck, she said that if her retirement is approved on Monday, she will vacate her position by Dec. 12.
The average person may think, “OK, how does this impact me or my children?”
Well, let’s explain it a little in depth.
According to a 2019 link on the Fort Bend Independent School District’s website, the superintendent is the head of their entire education system with the deputy superintendent, general counsel, and district police immediately after.
Whitbeck has decision-making power when it comes to your students and has taken the initiative to listen to parents on how to improve the district’s morale, their website read.
The Director of Multimedia Strategic Communications at FBISD, Sherry Williams, answered several questions she was asked by KPRC 2′s Moriah Ballard about Whitbeck.
Q: How would her retirement impact students and parents day to day?
A: This is not easy to predict; Dr. Whitbeck has accomplished a great deal during her tenure and is leaving the district in good shape with strong infrastructure in place –financially, academically, and in terms of facilities to name a few.
Q: What was she in charge of in her role? Is she over the school board, or is the school board over her? Who does she manage?
A: The FBISD Superintendent can be viewed as the CEO, in charge of serving 80,000 students and leading 12,000 employees. Fort Bend ISD is the largest employer in Fort Bend County. The board can be viewed as the board of directors of a corporation. The superintendent is hired by and evaluated by the board.
In July of 2023, the board extended Dr. Whitbeck’s contract from an original ending date of Oct. 5, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2026. Link to the original and amended contract.
Q: Are there any systems in place to support the district as they undergo this change?
A: The district has a capable leadership team in place to continue the work required for productive teaching and learning and management of district operations. An interim/acting superintendent will be named at tonight’s meeting.