Superintendent of the Year
2026 SOTY Timeline
- April 17: Nomination submissions due to designated ESC
- June 30: Regional screening completed, and nominations submitted to TASB
- Aug. 21-22: All regional winners interviewed, and five finalists chosen by the TASB State Selection Committee
- October: Finalists interviewed at txEDCON 2026, and Superintendent of the Year chosen by TASB State Selection Committee
- Oct. 10: Presentation of the award at txEDCON 2026
Submissions
Nominations are now open. School board presidents must complete the official entry form and supporting documentation including:
- Official entry form
- Student performance worksheet
- A detailed recommendation letter, signed by the board president (no longer than five pages, 12-point Times New Roman, 1.5-line spacing, and 1-inch margins). The letter should be addressed to the SOTY Selection Committee and include details about why the chief administrator should be named Superintendent of the Year, expanding on the following topics:
- Leadership, management, and school climate
- School board-superintendent relations
- School improvement and instructional leadership
- Fiscal management
- School-community relations
- Public Education Advocacy
- At the end of the letter, succinctly respond to “Why our superintendent should be selected as Superintendent of the Year.”
- A basic resume listing current positions and professional organizations (no more than three pages)
- A resolution indicating the board’s decision to nominate the superintendent (remember to place the resolution on the board meeting agenda early in the process)
- Three photos: a photo of the superintendent (headshot), a photo of the superintendent and the board, and a photo of the superintendent interacting with students. Requirements for these photos are:
- Minimum image size 1,500 x 2,100 pixels (5x7" at 300 dpi)
- Preferred image size 8.5 x 11 inches in .jpg format
- No other documentation accepted
About SOTY
Eligibility
Member school boards interested in nominating their superintendent for the Superintendent of the Year Award are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria. Nominees must meet the following requirements:
- Have served as a superintendent of the district since Sept. 1, 2023 (interim positions do not count)
- Be a member of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and in a district whose board has a current TASB Active Membership
- Be certified and meet the State Board for Educator Certification continuing professional education requirement
- Be an active superintendent at the time of txEDCON 2026
Please note superintendents who receive the top state award cannot be nominated again during the following five-year period. This rule does not apply to superintendents who were named regional winners or state finalists.
TASB Regional Screening Committees
The education service center will coordinate the regional screening. School board members serving on the regional screening committee are from districts that do not have superintendents nominated for the award and do not have board members on the TASB State Selection Committee. Each regional screening committee will submit one nomination to the TASB State Selection Committee.
TASB State Selection Committee
The State Selection Committee is typically composed of TASB directors appointed by the TASB president to serve on the TASB Member Services Committee. A director may not serve if the superintendent from his or her district is being considered.
Learn more about the eligibility, nomination, and selection process, including important dates, as well as a list of previous winners. Questions? Call 800-580-8272 or email [email protected].
