Former Godley High School Principal Rich Dear is officially the district’s superintendent after almost a year of preparation for the role.
“Everything’s going great here,” Dear said. “[Former Superintendent Paul] Smithson did a really good job of getting me involved in every facet of being the superintendent. Last semester, he really backed off and [in December] let me have the driver’s seat.”
Smithson was superintendent with GISD for seven years before announcing in March he planned on leaving in December.
Smithson said he needed to be closer to his aging parents in Arkansas.
Dear has been in the school district almost seven years, serving as both principal and vice principal. He said that’s a big reason why he’s not having to play “catch up” with district administrators.
He was deputy superintendent while Smithson helped him learn the ropes.
“As far as our staff and everything, it’s been very smooth,” Administrative Assistant Sonda McLellan said. “Everything’s great, there have been no complaints.”
Now that Dear’s in charge, he has some plans for the future, and they can be summed up in one word.
“Technology,” Dear said. “I don’t have any big changes planned, but we’re going to continue to get technology in the classroom.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the term digital learners. Our kids have changed. We’ve got to do a better job of adapting for them. We’ve got to get as much technology in the class as possible.”
The high school recently became a bring-your-own-device campus, Dear said. A principal advisory board of students told administrators that students would like to use cellphones during school hours.
“We challenged our kids and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to let you use cellphones for a while and see how it goes,’” Dear said.
He said students are mindful of policies and using their phones for school use.
“We have some tablets, iPod Touches,” Dear said. “We’ve already got laptops. We’re going to go in the direction of Google Chromebooks.”
Chromebooks are less expensive and more user-friendly, Dear explained. According to Google’s Chromebook website, the laptops are resistant to viruses and trojans, making them budget-friendly.
“We’re hoping to get our first set in the next month or so,” he said.
Though Dear said he is hoping to get as much technology as possible into the hands of his students, he’s also keeping a close eye on next year’s budgets and what more state cuts could do to GISD’s programs.
“[We are] adapting to our financial climate,” he said. “We lost over $800,000 last year and we stand to lose another $1 million next year. That’s a big bite; it really hurts us. We talk about it every day.”
Dear is also facing the possibility of GISD becoming a Class 3A district with the population of Johnson County expected to grow in the coming years. The district has more than 1,500 students.
“The town would like to stay 2A but we’re going to grow — it’s coming,” Dear said. “But Godley is a great place to be. We’ve got a very supportive community. Most of all, we’ve got great kids here. I can’t say that enough. I want to stay at Godley as long as they’ll have me and as long as I’m happy.”
Godley ISD
Dear in new role as GISD super
Technology boom coming to district
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Dear in new role as GISD super
Former Godley High School Principal Rich Dear is officially the district’s superintendent after almost a year of preparation for the role.
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Parents want ISDs to be aware
