Dallas ISD today announced the hiring of two new chiefs, while another made her expected resignation official.
Communications chief Jennifer Sprague resigned, effective this Thursday, after spending about seven months in the district. DISD provided no information on the reason for her departure in a news release but officials had begun preparing for her exit last month.
The new hires are Garland ISD administrator Rene Barajas, who will be chief financial officer, and Baltimore school administrator W. Jerome Oberlton, who will be the chief of staff. They begin on Jan. 22.
?Both Dr. Barajas and Mr. Oberlton bring impressive credentials and experience to their new positions here in Dallas ISD,? Superintendent Mike Miles said in the news release. ?I am excited that they will be joining us to help our mission of improving college- and career-readiness of our students through the Destination 2020 plan. These two appointments will be strong additions to our administrative team.?
Barajas has been the assistant superintendent of business operations in Garland ISD for nearly five years, according to the news release. Prior to that, he worked in San Marcos Consolidated ISD for seven years.
Garland ISD interim Superintendent Gary Reeves said in a statement that Barajas has done an ?outstanding job? for his district. He said that school finance is complex and Barajas has successful guided the district around pitfalls.
?He has been instrumental throughout our financial successes, twice leading GISD to a five-star rating ? along with a Gold Circle Award ? by the State Comptroller?s Office,? Reeves stated. ?Dallas ISD is extremely fortunate to have someone with his knowledge, presence and skillset.?
Oberlton has been chief technology officer for Baltimore City Public Schools since 2011. Prior to that, he was president of Global Technology Services in Dallas and chief information officer at Mannatech Inc. in Coppell.
Their salaries were not provided in the news release, but it states they will receive base salaries with the potential to earn additional compensation by meeting certain performance goals set by Miles with input from the school board.
?The district is moving in the direction of performance-based pay for all staff members,? stated board President Lew Blackburn in the news release. ?It makes sense for that to start at the top level of the administration, so I applaud the superintendent for taking this approach with his cabinet.?
With the two hires, Miles is left to fill Sprague?s position to complete his seven-member cabinet, which had eight positions until the technology chief post was eliminated. It?s not certain whether Miles will fill Sprague?s position, though. But if he does, he?ll likely conduct a nationwide search as he recently voiced regret for not having done so initially when Sprague was hired.
(Update: Miles will fill Sprague?s position. DISD spokesman Jon Dahlander is the interim communications chief).
Whether Sprague will receive severance pay is not yet known. Her time in the district has been rocky. She faced criticism for her high base salary, $185,000, and some questioned whether the 31-year-old was experienced enough to do her job. She also was criticized for certain communication techniques, such as distributing fliers to principals and assistant principals to coach them on how to best communicate with parents and community members. The multipage brochure recommended using ?power words,? ?acknowledgement phrases? and ?headlines.?
Miles thanked Sprague for her time in the district in the news release.
?During her tenure, Jennifer Sprague served the students and staff of the Dallas Independent School District with great integrity and I sincerely appreciate her efforts,? he stated. ?I know she will be successful in the future and wish her and her family the very best.?
Read a related blog post here.
More information, 12:32 p.m.:?Barajas, the new chief financial officer, will have a base salary of $199,000, which the district noted is $16,000 less than former CFO Alan King made when he took the job after leaving a district smaller than Garland ISD.?Oberlton, the new chief of staff, will make $185,000.
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