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Columbus Independent School District selected Dr. Chris Carpenter, currently of Slaton ISD, as the sole finalist to be the district’s next superintendent, at its meeting, Wednesday, April 22.
Under Texas law, the board must wait 21 days before officially offering Carpenter his employment contract. Carpenter will begin over the summer after current superintendent Jim Connor’s retirement effective June 30.
“My family and I are incredibly excited for the opportunity to be a part of the Columbus community and Cardinal family,” Carpenter said in a Facebook reply to the district’s posted press release. “Thank you very much for the warm welcome, and we look forward to meeting everyone very soon.”
Carpenter’s educational background spans 12 years and ranges from a high school teacher to his current position of almost three years as assistant superintendent at Slaton ISD in Slaton, Texas. A Lubbock native, he received a bachelor’s degree in English from Texas Tech University in 2011 and a doctorate in educational leadership from West Texas A&M University in 2025. Carpenter is married to his wife of 11 years, Julianna Carpenter, who currently works as the assistant director of special education at Lorenzo ISD, and they have two children.
“This decision follows a comprehensive search process conducted with community input and support from [Texas Association of School Boards (TASB)] Executive Search Services,” the district’s Facebook post with the press release read. “We appreciate the support of our community throughout this process and look forward to the next steps.”
In January, the board contracted TASB whose consultants created a leadership profi le based on community surveys to evaluate candidates. The board selected six candidates for an initial interview, and two were selected for a second interview. Columbus ISD is scheduled to approve the employment offer during a special meeting on Thursday, May 14.
