Published: May 09, 2008 08:23 pm         

New superintendent selected

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

Looking for the “right fit” has been a task that Mineral Wells ISD board member Holt Price estimates took 20 hours each week for most of the past two months.

The board believes they found that fit after unanimously voting Friday evening to name Dr. James R. “Ronny” Collins as the district’s new superintendent.

“You never know how someone’s going to fit,” said Price of the task the board faced.

Collins is currently the superintendent for the Snyder ISD. The board vote was 6-0, as outgoing board member Doug Pennington did not attend the specially called session.

“I’m excited. We all worked diligently and did a lot of evaluation to pick the right guy. We all came together pretty well,” he added.

What impressed Price and his board colleagues most was Collins’ “attitude toward teachers and students. Every question he answered, he talked about the students first. He stood out as the best for Mineral Wells.”

“We had four really strong people,” said board Vice President David Bullock, who said they received three unsolicited calls during the process, telling the school board Collins is “top notch.”

MWISD Board President Joel Hardeman said when they visited Snyder schools on Thursday, “We found that the people he works with are very loyal to him. There were a lot of different emotions.”

Bullock said as they talked to teachers and staff, one person “welled up” and another “shed tears.”

In a brief interview Friday night, Collins said, “There’s probably three district in the whole state that I would have left Snyder for and this is one.

“Weatherford, Jacksboro and Mineral Wells always had a good reputation, good teachers, principals and students – we’re all about what’s best for the kids,” he said.

Collins, 54, has been a superintendent for 18 years. Prior to assuming the Snyder superintendent post five years ago, he was just up the road as Jacksboro ISD superintendent.

MWISD curriculum director Carolyn Cooper said she knew of Collins’ “good reputation” as a superintendent, when she was “next door” as a principal at Perrin-Whitt Consolidated ISD.

She said he was known as “hard working, honest and dedicated.”

Riley Couger, who now works in the MWISD technology department, said he worked for Collins in Jacksboro, and called him an “honest, involved superintendent.”

He told board members he was somewhat skeptical about the whole superintendent selection process; however, he called Collins a good honest guy who likes people and treats them fairly.

“I don’t want to be a cheerleader, but I’m as happy as I can be under the circumstances,” said Couger. “It ended up pretty sweet.”

He described Collins’ office at Jacksboro as a display of his hobby – photography – combined with his subjects – students who excelled at all activities, including sports, academics and agriculture (a subject Collins once taught). He added that Collins kept the photos up to date.

Likewise, his office walls in Snyder impressed MWISD board member Mike Tincher, who joined Bullock and Hardeman on Thursday’s site visit.

“When you walk into his office, you can’t put your finger on the wall because of the collage of students’ pictures,” he said.

Tincher was also impressed by the apparent community support for Collins as the entourage visited Snyder.

What seemed to speak volumes was an unsolicited call to the Index by the Snyder Daily News’ assistant publisher Wade Warren. Warren, who covered school board meetings, called Collins a “great superintendent” and said he would be sorry to see him leave Snyder.

“He came at a time when our facilities were very, very poor and built a picture-perfect school that replaced three facilities built back in the ’50s,” said Warren.

Warren described the 141,000-square-foot new school as combining the schools under one roof. According to Collins, the building is divided with a primary side and intermediate side and shared facilities in the middle, including offices, cafeteria, gymnasium and library.

Warren said in West Texas people use a term, “He’s a good’un” for quality cattle or people. “He’s a good’un. I hate to lose him.”

During their visit to Snyder campuses, Hardeman said, “People said, ‘He never misses any activities.’”

Friday evening Collins was not at home, but could be reached. He was in Austin, taking pictures of five students who were competing in the state track meet. One of his students – Kenneth Turner – had just won the Class 3A 100-meter dash.

He said coming to Mineral Wells will “be like coming home for us.”

Collins’ wife, Terri, who teaches fifth grade, lived in Weatherford. When they worked in Jacksboro, they did much of their business in Mineral Wells.

In addition, they have two sons who they will be nearer. Their eldest, Brad, lives in Grandview and is a chiropractor and Todd is graduating from Baylor School of Dentistry on Wednesday.

After graduating from high school in Joshua, Texas, Collins received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tarleton State University and followed this with a doctorate in education from Oklahoma State University.

According to Warren, he also served in the Army National Guard for 11 years and the U.S. Coast Guard for three years. Price said he was “a public relations guy” in the Coast Guard.

“The bottom line is communication,” said board member Joe Ruelas, who said he was impressed that Collins does not have a “shut door” attitude, but communicates with staff as well as visits classrooms.

Collins said there is a 21-day waiting period before the MWISD school board can offer him a contract, but he would like to visit during that period so he can meet teachers and staff before summer break.

“I think it’s important for everyone to get to meet before the end of school,” he said.