Longview ISD Superintendent to Retire

LONGVIEW — Longview ISD Superintendent, James Wilcox, announced his retirement to district principals and some area media Monday but had not officially given the news to his school board. That notification may have come in a closed session of the board that continued late Monday.

Board President Sam Satterwhite said Monday afternoon he was aware Wilcox had notified principals, but could not confirm when the retirement would take effect because Wilcox “has not officially told the board that.”

Longview ISD spokesman Adam Holland said in an email Wilcox planned to give his retirement notice to trustees at the meeting that began at 7:00 Monday night. If accepted, his retirement would take effect Dec. 31, Holland said. However, nothing was said about the matter during the portion of the meeting that was open to the public. About 9:00, the board went into executive session for its annual self-assessment and to discuss personnel and other matters.

“I’m pleased to have been a part of the best school district east of I-45,” Wilcox said in a news release issued Monday afternoon. “This is bittersweet, as I have loved every day in Longview ISD.”

Wilcox said in the news release he hasn’t made immediate full-time work plans, but intends to remain active in educational circles and Longview-area organizations. Meanwhile, district officials have remained mum on rumors that the board intends to rehire Wilcox about a month after his retirement takes effect.

Such an arrangement would be acceptable under the state’s Teacher Retirement System. The move would allow Wilcox to draw a salary from the district as well as partial benefits of the Teacher Retirement System. With an annual salary of $207,500, his contract with the school district expires June 30.