FORT SMITH, Ark – Fort Smith Public Schools Superintendent Doug Brubaker has been selected as the sole finalist for the position of superintendent of Texarkana Independent School District in Texas.
Brubaker has been the superintendent in Fort Smith since January 2017 and worked to get the millage increase for the schools and Vision 2023 set in place. He is expected to start his new position in January 2021.
“Taking on the superintendent role in Texarkana ISD represents a great move for our family professionally and personally, and we are very excited about it,” Brubaker said in a school news release.
He went on to say he and has wife, Heather, had grown to “love Fort Smith and are grateful that our family has had the opportunity to live, work, and grow” in “such an exceptional community.”
The outgoing superintendent also said it has been a “great privilege” to work with the school board, educators, staff and community members to expand opportunities for students.
“With such a strong school board and team in place, I know that we can look forward to hearing great things about Fort Smith Public Schools in the years to come,” Brubaker added.
Fort Smith Board of Education President Bill Hanesworth said he would compare it to a sports team that wins a national championship and suddenly the head coach and his assistants become targets for recruitment.
“In a sense we should feel a sense of pride that our district has attracted the attention from other districts recognizing our accomplishments,” Hanesworth said in the release thanking him for a “job well done.“
Hanesworth also said that the board would start the search for a new superintendent immediately to ensure the smoothest transition possible.