College Station ISD school board members name their lone finalist for superintendent.
Dr. Tim Harkrider has spent the last ten years as superintendent in Willis.
Before CSISD board members unanimously approved the selection, they received an endorsement during public comments from Willis ISD board member Cliff Williams.
Harkrider’s hiring becomes official following a state mandated 21 day waiting period.
This is the first CSISD superintendent who was not an internal promotion since 2006.
CSISD board president Jeff Horak said there were no CSISD employees among the 48 applicants for the position. 15 made the initial cut. Horak said that was followed by six interviews and two being interviewed a second time.
Click below to hear comments from Tim Harkrider, visiting with local reporters following the June 12, 2023 College Station ISD school board meeting.
Click below to hear comments from Jeff Horak, visiting with local reporters following the June 12, 2023 College Station ISD school board meeting.
News release from College Station ISD:
The College Station ISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Tim Harkrider the district’s Lone Finalist for the position of Superintendent of Schools today.
Harkrider has been the superintendent in Willis ISD for the past 10 years and is tabbed to replace Mike Martindale, who recently retired.
By state law, a finalist for the superintendent position must complete a 21-day waiting period before officially being named the superintendent of schools.
Harkrider was named Texas Association of School Boards Region 6 Superintendent of the Year in 2018, and was one of five finalists in the state competition. In addition, he earned the 2019-2020 Empowered Superintendent award from the K-12 Chief Technology Officer Council for his work to advance meaningful use of technology in classrooms.
Under Harkrider’s leadership, WIllis ISD has made gains academically and increased index scores in more than 50% of the areas rated by the TEA each year since 2016.
Harkrider has led Willis ISD through a tremendous amount of growth with the passage of bond packages in 2015 ($109.5 million), 2020 ($100.15 million), and 2022 ($143 million).
Before being named Superintendent, Harkrider served as the Willis High School Principal from 2012 to 2013. Before that, he spent five years as the campus principal at Reagan Middle School and a year as principal at Dickinson Elementary, both in Grand Prairie ISD.
Harkrider started his career in education as a teacher and baseball coach, serving stints in Mt. Enterprise ISD, Union Grove ISD, Pine Tree ISD, Kilgore ISD, and White Settlement ISD.
After earning All-Southwest Conference honors in 1992 and 1993 as a shortstop for the University of Texas baseball team, Harkrider was selected in the 8th round of the Major League Baseball draft in 1993. He spent four years playing professional baseball before an injury ended his career.
He earned his Bachelor of Science from Stephen F. Austin State University, his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from Sam Houston State University.
Harkrider and his wife, Toni, have three children: Dylan (25), Reece (21), and Meredith (13).