GILMER, Texas — Region 7 Education Service Center is honored to announce Rick Albritton, Gilmer ISD Superintendent of Schools, as the 2021 Regional Superintendent of the Year.
Albritton began his journey as the Superintendent of Schools for Gilmer ISD in 2002. During his 19 years with the district, Albritton has led in the passing of two major school bonds, both of which exceeded $20 million in renovations and new construction. The most recent bond passed in May 2018 allowed the district to construct a 160,000 square feet state-of-the-art high school, 116,000 square feet elementary school, new field house, and many additional renovations, including those at Jeff Traylor Stadium.
Albritton’s leadership style and direction can also be seen through various district culture metrics and standards. Mark Skinner, Gilmer ISD Board of Trustees President, states, “Mr. Albritton knows the importance of building strong relationships. Teacher retention in Gilmer ISD has increased from 28% in 2002 to 92% in 2020 due to the collaborative culture that is Mr. Albritton’s top priority.” Albritton’s implementation of various student learning resources has also provided consistent testing results over the last five years. Students are tested various times throughout the school year so that administrators, teachers, students, and parents can track and measure student growth.
Albritton will represent Region 7 in the annual Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) award program. Sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the SOTY program has recognized exemplary superintendents for excellence and achievement in educational leadership since 1984.
Candidates are chosen for their strong leadership skills, dedication to improving educational quality in their districts, and commitment to public involvement in education. Superintendents from any of the state’s 1,026 local school districts are eligible for nomination by their school boards. Local nominees are submitted to a regional selection committee, which chooses one nominee to send to the state selection committee.
The state committee will interview all regional winners in Austin on August 27-28 and select five state finalists. The Superintendent of the Year will be announced September 25 at the 2021 Texas Association of School Administrators/TASB Convention in Dallas.
TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local public school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve approximately 5.4 million public school students.