Almost six months after parting ways with former Superintendent David Simmons, the Richardson school board named its sole finalist to be his successor Friday: Kay Waggoner, currently superintendent of the Grapevine-Colleyville school district.

Kay Waggoner

The board approved the choice following a closed-door meeting with the district's senior staff. In an unusual vote for this board, approval was not unanimous. David Tyson abstained.

School officials said the selection process examined 30 candidates and included 50 hours of interviews.

Waggoner has a successful record at districts significantly smaller and less diverse than Richardson. Grapevine-Colleyville has fewer than half as many students and about a third as many employees as Richardson. And 70 percent of students in Waggoner's current district are white, compared with about a third of Richardson's students. Only 16 percent are identified in state records as economically disadvantaged, compared with about half of Richardson's students.

But Grapevine-Colleyville has been changing, Waggoner said Friday. She cited statistics about students who have entered the district in the past three years – 21 percent are economically disadvantaged and 25 percent are Hispanic.

"Our district has increased in diversity and has embraced that diversity," she said.

Richardson board President Kim Quirk said she is confident that Waggoner could handle the larger district.

"This is a logical next step for her," she said.

No board member commented on Friday's vote during the meeting. Afterward, Tyson declined to explain why he abstained. But when the board chose a search firm in October, he was the lone voice suggesting that the district hire a national firm that had experience in placing minority candidates. Instead, the board chose a smaller Texas firm that had little track record with minorities.

Before taking over the Grapevine-Colleyville district in 2004, Waggoner led the Red Oak school district from 1997 to 2004. Before that, she worked at other small school districts, including Nacogdoches; Eanes, near Austin; and Joshua, in Johnson County.

State regulations require a 21-day wait before the board can vote to hire Waggoner. Neither pay nor a starting date has been determined.

Friday's announcement almost surely signals the start of a superintendent search for Grapevine-Colleyville, but no plans have been made, school officials there said.

During Waggoner's tenure at Grapevine-Colleyville, she was faced with bringing up TAKS scores, dealing with a steroid scandal among student athletes and a controversy over whether a student who graduated from high school in only three years could qualify as valedictorian.

Last year, Colleyville Heritage High School was investigated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights to determine if the school met the interests and abilities of both boys and girls and offered equivalent facilities to both. The outcome is not known.

If hired, she will become Richardson's fourth full-time superintendent since 2004.

Simmons resigned abruptly in August. He and the school board parted ways over what both sides said was a difference in vision.

When he left, the district seemed to be doing well by many statistical measures. The district has been one of the largest in the state to earn "recognized" status, reaching that mark for four straight years. And last year, while many local districts needed to cut services or raise taxes, Richardson managed a small surplus.

But the number of National Merit Scholars and the percentage of students who excelled on Advanced Placement exams had declined.

School board members said they were unhappy with the focus on TAKS scores and wanted a superintendent with a "new strategic vision" that pushed beyond the standardized tests to find ways to better prepare students for life. Several board members said much the same thing before Simmons was hired, but Quirk said that this search was different.

"It was much longer. It was much more in-depth. It was much more rigorous," Quirk said. "Our questions were much more probing than the last time we did it."

Waggoner said she had not looked into the reasons Simmons left. Her focus, she said, was on the current strengths and needs of the district.

She said she was not troubled by the lack of unanimity in Friday's vote.

"To the person, I sense a genuineness and sincerity for hiring someone who will be a good fit for the community," she said.

During several hours of conversation, she said, she and board members agreed on a common vision for the district, she said. Asked about that vision, she used many of the phrases that board members have worked into their recent public statements: servant-leadership, academically engaged students, high expectations.

Two weeks ago, the Richardson board approved a new vision and mission statement for the district: "Vision: RISD – Where all students learn, grow, and succeed. Mission: To serve and prepare all students for their global future."

The vision statement for Waggoner's current district has some similarities: "The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District inspires, encourages and empowers students to achieve their full potential in a global society."

Current position: Grapevine-Colleyville school superintendent since 2004

Age: 50

Family: Husband, Rick Waggoner

Career: Started as biology teacher in Nacogdoches, Texas; administrative positions in the Joshua and Eanes school districts; superintendent of Red Oak schools, 1997-2004

Education: Bachelor's degree, 1981; master's degree, 1984, Stephen F. Austin State University; doctorate, 1991, University of Texas at Austin

Affiliations: Former president, Texas Association of School Administrators; member, Education Leadership Coalition; vice chair, University Interscholastic League Legislative Council; governing board, American Association of School Administrators