Education
BY KAREN CHANEY
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD superintendent Brad Schnautz welcomed students back to school in August.
KAREN CHANEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
COURTESY GRAPEVINE COLLEYVILLE ISD
Get to know rst-year Grapevine-Colleyville superintendent Schnautz Brad Schnautz started his career in education in 2002 as a teacher and coach. Over the ensuing 20 years, he said he has worn many hats in education, including being the deputy superintendent of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD for ve years and serving as superintendent in another district. This is his rst role as GCISD superintendent since being named the lone nalist in February. Schnautz spoke with Community Impact after the start of the school year about what attracted him to the district, what is on his to-do list and the path to his current position. Why did you decide to pursue a career in education? I had a desire to positively impact the lives of young people, and I felt like public education would be a great platform to do that. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to hit di erent roles in public education that blessed me and gave me the opportunity to not only impact students’ lives but also the adults we serve and support. This is my calling; this is my mission eld. Explain your background as a superintendent. This is my second superintendency. I was a superintendent in Lexington ISD. Throughout my leadership journey, I’ve had mentors who invested in me and really encouraged me to continue to
ascend in educational leadership. I was a high school principal [in Magnolia ISD] from 2012 to 2015, we had a campus of around 2,000 students. I became the superintendent in Lexington ISD in 2015, which only had 1,000 students. It wasn’t too big or overwhelming, but it was a new role so there was a lot to learn. The learning curve was not too
campuses and extracurricular, that was my lane. I had 10 direct reports and every day my job was focused on serving and supporting the work that takes place on the academic side. Now that I’ve transferred over to the superintendency, I oversee all of it. Instead of the 10 direct reports, I have six chiefs that report to me and the executive director of communications. I don’t know everything about everything, I know a good bit about everything and that’s because I have an amazing team. I report to the board, I’m their lone employee. What are the top three things on your to-do list as the superintendent? First is getting our strategic plan nalized and in place to lead us through our work in the next ve years. Secondly, is making sure we maintain a balanced budget while looking for ways to increase employee compensation. Number three is increas- ing opportunities to recognize and support our employees and teachers. It’s important to me that our employees feel valued and appreciated. What are the top three qualities you see in exceptional teachers? They love their students, they’re passionate about what they teach, and their students are so excited to be in their class and they can’t wait to come back the next day. When you hear that from students, you know that the teacher is a rock star.
steep; it was a good next step for me. Why did you accept this position?
Prior to being named the superintendent [here], I was the deputy superintendent for ve and a half years. When you serve somewhere and work with people for that long, you develop a love for the peo- ple, and you’re committed to the work. I’m also a parent. We have four children. My oldest graduated in 2021 from Grapevine, and I have three children in our schools. What experience did you have prior to this position that proved bene cial? I’m proud of the fact that I’ve served in many roles in public education. I started out as a class- room teacher—I taught math and was a coach for six years. Being a classroom teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and superintendent helps me in my job because I’m able to relate to teachers, campus leaders and other auxiliary areas. I love rolling up my sleeves and working with our people. I don’t feel like I’m a sit-in-the-o ce type of guy. I want to be serving the people and make it the best district it can be. You were the deputy superintendent since 2017. How has that changed since becoming the superintendent? Anything that was related to academics at our
For a full list of questions and answers visit www.communityimpact.com.
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GRAPEVINE COLLEYVILLE SOUTHLAKE EDITION
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