Submitted report
After 39 years as an employee in public schools, Carolyn Hitt, assistant superintendent of human relations at Hays CISD, is calling it quits. The district announced her replacement, David Hartz, the associate superintendent for human resources for the Little Rock School District in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Hitt began her career in education in 1973 as an English teacher at Munford High School in Tennessee. For 15 years, she worked in the classroom in high schools in Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas. In the late 1980s, Carolyn became the assistant principal of Crowley High School in Crowley, Texas. In the early 1990s, she was named academic assistant principal at Mansfield High School and was honored as the 1994-95 Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year in Region XI.
In 1995, she moved to Kyle and started working in Hays CISD, where she has served in a number of leadership positions, including: assistant principal and dean of instruction at Hays High School, principal at Tom Green Elementary, director of communications and community relations, and principal of Buda Elementary. In 2006, she was named Hays CISD executive director of human resources. The next school year, she served as interim assistant superintendent for human resources. In 2009, she was selected as the assistant superintendent for human resources – her current position.
Her career challenges and accomplishments include the implementation of Senate Bill 9 to ensure mass employee fingerprinting and processing of criminal history background checks; assisting employees through the budget crisis of 2011 and the accompanying reduction in force (RIF), and providing leadership and support to teachers, administrators and parents as Hays CISD has grown from a student population of 5,250 when she started in the district to more than 16,500 in 2013.
Carolyn is excited about retirement from education saying she can then assume her full-time duties as grandmother.
“Carolyn is going to leave very difficult shoes to fill,” said Interim Superintendent Carter Scherff. “She has been the heart of Hays CISD for a number of years. We will miss her professionalism, leadership, and compassion. At the same time, I am excited that David Hartz will be joining our team. He’s a great match for our school district family and he’ll help our district continue to grow.”
Hitt will complete the school year before retiring. No start date has been set for Hartz, but the hope is he will have some time to work simultaneously with Hitt to aid in a successful transition.
David Hartz
Hartz brings to Hays CISD a blend of human resources experience from school districts and institutions of higher education. His areas of expertise include: engaged leadership, team building, budget management, training and staff development, negotiations, budget management, and relationship building. He describes himself as highly organized, technologically engaged, and able to multi-task and clearly explain complex issues and ideas.
David holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, a Master of Education, and an education specialist certification in public school administration, all from the University of Arkansas.
His higher education work experience includes more than a decade serving in senior positions at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), culminating in being named the director of resident life. In public education, he has served more than 14 years as the director of human resources and personnel evaluation for the Fayetteville School District in Arkansas and in his current position in Little Rock.
An interesting fact – during his career in the early 1990s, David was selected as the first non-monk headmaster of a college preparatory boarding school administered by the Benedictine Monks.
Hays CISD has nearly 2,300 employees.
