The Allen Independent School District is getting a new superintendent. The school board this week selected Lance Hindt, who runs the state's only municipal school district in Stafford, located south of Houston.
Hindt told KERA that he’s looking forward to the challenge of moving from a district of just 3,500 students to one that has ballooned to 20,000 in just a few years.
“I know that the community is very much behind the high school and wants to keep that small town feel, and I would agree with them," Hindt said. "So we’re going to work with the city and some demographers to make sure we can accommodate any growth we see down the line.”
Hindt, who’s 49, is no stranger to larger districts. Before Stafford, he was an assistant superintendent in Fort Bend Independent School District, which has about 70,000 students. He said his new district’s high graduation rate is one of the things that appeals to him about the job.
“Allen’s already ahead of the curve there," he said. "They’ve got a real strong career ready pathway program at the high school. Kids can earn industry certifications and move on into the workforce and make more than minimum wage. And what we want to do is make sure that we provide every opportunity to our kids, whether they go out into a career, into the armed forces, or they got to a four-year or two-year university or college.”
The fact that the district has a state-champion football team doesn’t hurt, either. Hindt says he’s used to winning seasons. Stafford’s football team made it through two rounds of the playoffs.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll be the guy with my face painted sitting in the front row of all of our activities,” he said.
Hindt’s hiring will become official when the board votes in three weeks. He will take over duties from Assistant Superintendent Beth Nicholas who's been acting as the interim superintendent since Ken Helvey retired last fall.
