BOERNE SELECTS CRAFT AS NEXT SCHOOL CHIEF

AS NEXT SCHOOL CHIEF After Dec. 7 vote, Craft becomes BISD’s first female superintendent

BY JEFF B. FLINN Managing Editor

Boerne ISD board of trustees Wednesday announced Dr. Kristin Craft as the lone finalist for the district’s superintendent post.

Craft, currently associate superintendent of academics in the Spring Branch ISD near Houston, will become the district's first female superintendent when she assumes the role that Superintendent Dr. Thomas Price has held for the past seven years. Price in June announced plans to retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

The board must now wait 21 days before officially voting to hire Dr. Craft to be the new superintendent.

Craft will be the first female superintendent in the district’s history.

“I am deeply honored for the opportunity to

Lone superintendent finalist Dr. Kristin Craft addresses Boerne residents and school staff after being announced Nov. 15. as Boerne ISD's next school chief.

Star photo by Jeff B. Flinn join the Boerne ISD family and serve as your superintendent of schools,” Craft told the board at the Nov. 15 special meeting.

“As a career educator, I have dedicated 28 years to ensuring positive learning environments and strong academic outcomes for students in Texas public schools,” Craft said. “I am thrilled to make Boerne my new hometown and look forward to shaping the future for every student, teacher, leader, and family in BISD.

She has served as associate superintendent of academics and chief academic officer in Spring Branch ISD since 2018. She spent 20 years serving in district leadership roles, as well as 12 years as a principal.

In addition, she has been a principal at every level, rising from elementary to intermediate and then to the high school level from 2003 to 2015.

Carlin Friar, president of the Boerne ISD board of trustees, said the district is thrilled to be able to hire Craft for the position.

“Dr. Craft stood out from the other applicants,” Friar said. “She has been instrumental in the academic success made by Spring Branch ISD students, she helped close learning gaps after the pandemic, strengthened SBISD’s career and technical education program, helped pass an important bond, and much more.”

The board was focused on finding the right leader who can continue the academic strides the district has achieved, he said, “and Dr. Craft is that person.”

“The selection of Dr. Craft would not have been possible without the results from the online community survey and input from in-person meetings by our search firm with community members,” he said.

While at Spring Branch, Craft was instrumental in helping the district earn a finalist award for the HEB Excellence in Education Best Large School District in 2023, as well as exceeding state and region in college readiness indicators: AP/IB results, OnRamps course credits, and SAT/ACT results (TAPR) in 2021 and 2022.

The board is scheduled to officially hire Craft on December 7. When Craft officially begins her tenure in January 2024, Price will transition to superintendent emeritus and serve as an adviser until his retirement at the end of the year.

“Dr. Craft realizes the uniqueness of our community as well as the importance of maintaining the small-town feel that we all love so much,” Friar said. “She is the right person to lead Boerne ISD into the future.'