By Cristin Ross
cross@jacksonvilleprogress.com
It wasn’t a hard decision for Dr. Joe Wardell to seek the superintendent’s position at Jacksonville Independent School District.
Jacksonville already held a special place in his heart, since he met his wife of 35 years, Tricia Wardell, while they attended Jacksonville College.
“I went to Jacksonville on a basketball scholarship,” Wardell said Tuesday night after he was officially hired to be Jacksonville’s next superintendent. “I played two years and graduated in 1972, then went to Dallas Baptist and played two years there. Tricia graduated in 1973.”
Tricia Wardell is no stranger to the area either.
“I grew up in the Palestine area, so this is almost like coming home for me,” she said. “We spent a lot of summers at Lake Jacksonville.”
Both Wardells said they’re very excited about moving to Jacksonville.
“We’re really looking forward to getting involved with the community, finding a church and making Jacksonville home,” Tricia Wardell said.
JISD board members unanimously and enthusiastically hired Wardell.
“The only agenda item tonight is to go into closed session, but we’re not going to do that,” President James Houser said during the meeting. “There’s no need for that.”
Board members approved a three-year contract, effective March 23 to June 30, 2012, with a $134,870 annual salary.
“We’re all excited here and looking forward to working with you,” Houser told Wardell as he introduced the new superintendent to faculty and staff present at the meeting.
Wardell said he’s been a superintendent for 16 years, eight of those at his current district, Anna ISD.
“Anna’s a great school district, but this is a tremendous opportunity for me,” Wardell said. “While I was there it grew from a district of about 900 to one of more than 2,100.”
He said he was attracted to the district because of its high achievement level.
“There’s a lot of good things going on here,” he said. “I want to learn from the people here as much as anything, what they’re doing right.”
When asked what his initial goals for JISD are, he said his first order of business is to explore the district and its campuses more fully.
“I’ve not been inside any of the campuses yet,” he admitted. “But I want to get to know the people and see what’s taking place at each facility.”
He said he’s read up on the district’s attempts to pass a bond issue in recent years.
“I don’t know much more than what I’ve read,” he said. “But I’m willing to explore the situation further.”
Wardell said he wants the community to know his door is always open.
“I’m always glad to talk to people in the community,” he said. “In the grocery store, at a football game, wherever. The only place I’d ask them not to approach me about school business is at church.
“I firmly believe in an open-door policy. There’s just no other way to work,” he said.
Local News
JISD signs Joe Wardell as new superintendent
- Local News
-
-
Agencies gearing up for Memorial Day weekend
The school year is wrapping up, and summer is almost here, but officials have some holiday safety tips to ensure the Memorial Day weekend is safe and fun for everyone.
-
Street blocked for sewer work
A portion of Bolton Street was blocked off Thursday as public works crews worked to find the source of a sewer stoppage.
-
Fourth-graders give scholarships, learn about college
As Tomato Fest approaches, officials with West Side Elementary school will have a booth to raise money for their West Side Elementary Alumni Scholarship given to graduating seniors.
-
Bullard council tables website decision
The Bullard city council tabled a decision on moving forward on a project for a new website design due to a lack of information.
-
LMC employees receive furlough notice
All but a core minimum group of Lon Morris employees received furlough notices Wednesday morning, and college President Miles McCall handed in his letter of resignation Tuesday, officials said Wednesday.
-
JISD alters graduation requirement for pair of subjects
Seniors at Jacksonville ISD will no longer have to take technology and health as a graduation requirement.
-
Rusk ISD lunch prices to rise 25 cents
A rise in school lunch prices is among several changes slated for Rusk ISD cafeterias.
-
County boasts 'pretty good' turnout
At the half-way mark of early voting for the May 29 primary, 1,485 Cherokee County voters turned in their ballots at the polls.
-
Organizations provide summer lunches for students
As schools approach summer vacation, Jacksonville has four locations offering free meals to students through the Summer Food Program.
-
Dome homes
Within the gated community of Lakewood in Cherokee County, homes are being built, ones so unique realtors can count how many they have seen on one hand.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Agencies gearing up for Memorial Day weekend
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
