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Longtime Arlington superintendent Marcelo Cavazos to step down

In a role known for high turnover, the Arlington ISD superintendent was an outlier.

Longtime Arlington superintendent Marcelo Cavazos will step down from his job leading the region’s third largest school district.

Cavazos, 54, who served as superintendent for more than a decade, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of August.

In a statement, the district called him a “transformational leader and tireless advocate for students.”

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Under his leadership, the 57,000-student district made pre-K free for all 4-year-olds, created the nation’s first districtwide STEM curriculum for 4-year-olds, and developed specialized academies focusing on leadership development, early college education, fine arts, dual language and more. Cavazos also spearheaded two successful bond measures in 2014 and 2019, totaling $1.6 billion.

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Melody Fowler, president of the district’s board of trustees, said Cavazos’ retirement is an “enormous loss to our community.”

“His visionary leadership has truly changed Arlington ISD for generations to come,” Fowler said.

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The San Benito native began his career as an English teacher in 1990 in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley before joining Arlington ISD in 1999 as associate superintendent for instruction. He was named superintendent in 2012.

While visiting the district’s elementary schools, Cavazos frequently shared with children his own story — growing up in South Texas and picking okra in the summer, then using money he earned to pay for school supplies and clothes.

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Deciding to retire was a difficult, emotional decision, Cavazos said, but the right one.

“I’ve seen thousands of students realize their dreams and aspirations because of the opportunities our district and community provide,” he said in a statement. “I witness our teachers and staff demonstrate love for our students every day and even more during difficult times.”

Cavazos is the latest in a flurry of school superintendents to step down in the past two years.

Joe Smith, who tracks superintendent comings and goings, lists nearly 70 vacancies statewide on his website, Texas ISD. The median amount of time superintendents spend in their districts is about three years, according to an annual survey by the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators.