Following a six-month nationwide search, The Klein ISD Board of Trustees voted last week to name Dr. Bret Champion as the sole finalist for the Superintendent of schools.  Dr. Jim Cain will retire in June after 47 years in education.

Texas law requires a 21-day period between the naming of the lone finalist and the final selection of a superintendent, and the board will hold a final vote May 23.

For the last eight years, Champion has served as the superintendent of the Leander Independent School District, outside of Austin.

Champion and his wife, Marcee are the parents of two boys and said they look forward to getting to know the Klein community better . They also said they realize the area is a special place.

“It was a conversation that Marcee and I had that led to this all happening,” Champion said in an address to the board following the unanimous decision to name him the lone finalist. “Our boys are both out of the house in college right now and we both looked at each other—and we’ve lived in the same community for over 20 years– and said Now what? What’s the next adventure?”

Champion said he looks forward to  begin building new relationships with everyone as soon as possible. He said he feels like he knows everyone, digitally, but now wants to actually meet people face to face.

“My faith is incredibly important to me,” he said.  “My family is remarkably important to me. You will not find someone who burns with more of a passion to ensure that every student gets a quality education in the state of Texas than me. I burn with that desire to ensure that happens.”

Champion said teaching is an honor and “something that we embrace as educators.”  Champion also made clear in his speech that he would not come into the district and change everything already set in place.

“As a leader I believe in failing forward,” he said.  “That hey y’all we’re doing amazing things here in Klein, but there’s always an opportunity to get better. I believe in continuous improvement, but with that comes the opportunity to fail forward in order to learn from our mistakes in order to learn and grow and make it  even better so I believe strongly in that and with that comes a notion of grace filled leadership with the idea that we extend grace to each other.”

Champion said it will take everyone’s effort, teachers, staff, students, and parents, to continue to make the district a great place to learn and grow.

“We want this district to be a place where every pathway is available to every student, Champion said.  “And where truly where every student is future ready. Let’s go get ‘em Klein.”