Austin Chamber names Steve Flores superintendent of the year

Posted on 11/05/2019

AUSTIN, Texas—The Austin Chamber of Commerce will recognize Round Rock Independent School District's Dr. Steve Flores as the Central Texas Superintendent of the Year at its annual State of Education on Thursday, Nov. 14.

“Dr. Flores has made an enormous impact on creating a culture of high expectations in Round Rock ISD,” said Austin Chamber Senior Vice President, Education, Drew Scheberle. “He doesn’t shirk from a challenge or make excuses for low performance. From the beginning of his tenure, Dr. Flores has been a unifier. He helped the Chamber and education partners come together on smart metrics for student success, and he has led by example in focusing on college/career readiness. Congratulations, Dr. Flores, for being named our 2019 Central Texas school superintendent of the year.”

Dr. Flores has led RRISD for the past six years.

College/Career Readiness Expectations

  • RRISD enrolls all incoming 9th graders into the state’s highest high school graduation program – the Distinguished Achievement Plan.
  • Dr. Flores supported and RRISD Trustees adopted paying fees for each high school junior to take the SAT for free.
  • Dr. Flores focused on structured tutoring which led college/career readiness rates to increase by 13-percentage points between the Class of 2016 at 58 percent and the Class of 2019 at 71 percent. The highest college readiness rate among Chamber partner school districts and among the highest in Central Texas for three straight years.

Continuous Improvement - More RRISD campuses earned an A in 2019, and 73 percent of RRISD campuses posted either an A or a B on the state accountability system.

Investment to Reduce Student: Counselor Ratio – In 2014, Dr. Flores proposed and the trustees unanimously adopted additional high school counselors to better support students and improve post-secondary transition rates.

Prudent Investing to Manage Growth – RRISD’s 2018 Bond – based upon the Master Facility Plan — was supported by 65 percent of voters in 2018. Since 2010, RRISD is the only district in Texas to maintain a AAA credit rating by both Moody’s and Fitch. Student enrollment has grown by an average of 1,000 students a year during his tenure, from just over 45,000 to more than 51,000 students

Standardizing Quality Practices — The Equity Task Force created by Dr. Flores is creating a comprehensive tiered model to address racial and educational equity in our educational system and community.

At the State of Education, the Austin Chamber will also recognize winners of its Business Champions in Education awards and District Awards for Educational Excellence.

The State of Education will explore how businesses help students prepare for the future through apprenticeship programs, student/career speaking, mentoring, internships, skilled-trade programs, and educator externships.

What: State of Education
Who: Special Guest Speaker – Roy Spence, Chairman and co-founder, GSD&M and author of the books The Amazing Faith of Texas and It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven By Purpose
Where: Hilton Austin
When: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Price: $65 for members, $75 for nonmembers

For more information, visit https://www.austinchamber.com/events/state-of-education-talent-for-tomorrows-workforce.