Departing superintendent Kincannon reflects on Waco ISD tenure
Waco Independent School District Superintendent Susan Kincannon calls it her "why" story, the seed that would blossom into a lifetime spent in education.
Kincannon was one of six siblings taken from their home in Mobile, Alabama, and put into foster care. Family relations took them in, the three oldest moved to Texas, the younger ones to New Mexico, and Kincannon found herself starting fourth grade at the then-new Martin Walker Elementary School in Copperas Cove.
Her teacher Frances Kellingsworth, "a most amazing teacher," paid attention to the new, shy girl from a bumpy childhood.
"She was so kind and I figured out I'm good at learning," Kincannon said. "I loved how she loved us."
Being in a shiny new school only amplified what Kincannon would remember long into adulthood: the life-changing impact of a teacher and a place that signaled that education was important.
The 56-year-old superintendent will step down next month after five years as head of Waco ISD. At her last meeting Thursday with the Waco school board as superintendent, her "why" story came to mind.
"It's hard to leave something you love," she told board members. "My time here took me all the way back to my 'why.'"
If a trainer of school superintendents wanted a wide-ranging practice exercise to test an administrator's ability to cope with challenges, she'd be hard-pressed to top a template of Kincannon's five years atop Waco ISD.
Kincannon came to Waco in 2019 after eight years at Belton ISD, which she headed for eight years. Since then, her tenure has included:
Add to that list teacher shortages and turnover of teachers and principals, plus leadership training and development efforts and student behavior and mental health issues.
A more personal struggle involved Kincannon's health, which led the 56-year-old superintendent to announce her retirement in June. It was originally slated for Sept. 30 but has since been pushed back to accommodate the transition for her likely successor, Tiffany Spicer.
Retirement was the right decision, but a bittersweet one, Kincannon said Friday, the day after her last Waco ISD board meeting.
"I wanted to stay longer. I expected to stay longer," she said. "But there comes a time when you know that it's time."
Trustees are set Oct. 4 to formalize an agreement to hire Spicer, now Buna ISD superintendent and the sole finalist for the Waco post.
In an item in the Sept. 19 consent agenda, which consists of actions that aren't discussed publicly unless by a trustee's request, the Waco board finalized the details of the transition.
According to a consent agenda item approved at Thursday's board meeting, Spicer will begin her duties Oct. 15. Kincannon's employment will be extended until year's end to serve as superintendent emeritus, available to answer questions and provide background for the new superintendent, for a fee of $15,000.
Before that item was approved Thursday, Trustee Jim Patton thanked Kincannon for "pouring yourself into this community and this district. You are leaving us better than when you found it."
That remark set off a round of thanks and appreciation from the other trustees.
Jonathan Grant saw in Kincannon "a beautiful balance of grit and grace ... a leader unafraid to lead in the direction we needed to go."
Keith Guillory, who had butted heads with her over issues of security in the new schools, acknowledged she was "a formidable opponent," and thanked her for providing a solid foundation for the district to build on.
The veteran educator came to Waco ISD after some 30 years in education. In her eight years in Belton, she oversaw a fast-growing district that saw enrollment nearly double to more than 12,000 students, requiring construction of new schools to keep apace of growth.
Waco ISD trustees hired her in a 5-2 vote, with dissenting trustees questioning whether her Belton experience would transfer to a Waco district with a different ethnic makeup.
Kincannon anticipated curriculum and instructional improvement would be her first task, but a campus visit to Waco High where she found broken furniture and wires dangling in a classroom persuaded her to prioritize facilities.
Ever the planner and organizer, she began working on a district improvement plan, followed by a facilities evaluation that eventually would lead to the 2021 bond issue funding four new schools.
Design thinking, a strategy for educational problem solving, shaped how Kincannon and her leadership team approached leadership training, curriculum improvement and intervention strategies for student academics and behavior.
The pandemic, however, thrust educators into unknown territory beyond any advance planning.
"We had to problem-solve our way through all those days," she said.
She acknowledged that educators are still dealing with learning impacts, behavior issues and mental health problems years later.
Outside of the pandemic, resolving some thorny board issues took hard, behind-the-scenes discussions, both with Kincannon and among trustees.
What kept her going through five years of change and challenge is the advice she gives to younger superintendents that she mentors.
"I pride myself on doing the work," she siad. "Focus on the kids and do quality work and the rest will follow."
Kincannon is wistful for what she won't witness as superintendent: the final schools under construction being finished next year, the continued growth of her Superintendent's Scholar program recognizing the district's top students, or the Future Educators Academy, aimed at growing young teachers for Waco ISD.
She's confident, however, there are programs in place to continue improvement in student interventions, curriculum, bilingual education, athletics and socio-emotional learning.
"I'm proud of how it all came together. The system working better and the (school district) culture has improved as a whole. I think there's a kinder, more gentle approach," she said. "I couldn't have done it alone. I have a team of experienced administrators ... and hats off to the board."
The best response to the why in her life, she says, is to pay it forward, with a generation of Waco students finding the "why" for them.
