Tomorrow’s the deadline for Vysehrad superintendent applicants

In what’s become an all too familiar refrain for families in Vysehrad ISD, just hours remain for those interested in applying for the school’s top job.

The application deadline for the Vysehrad superintendent’s position is set for 5 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, May 9). That’s after the school’s current superintendent/principal Robin Trojcak tendered her letter of resignation with the school early last month, stating that she had accepted a position with the Region 3 Service Center in Victoria.

“Serving as the superintendent and principal of our school has been an honor and privilege,” she wrote in her letter to parents and fellow faculty members. “And I am immensely grateful for the support and partnership of the entire school community over the past year."

“I am proud of the accomplishments we have made and the positive impact we have had on the lives of our students,” she continued. “Together, we have created a nurturing and inclusive environment where every child has had the opportunity to succeed."

“While I am sad to say goodbye, I am also excited for the future of Vysehrad,” Trojcak said. “I have full confidence in the dedicated faculty and staff who will continue to uphold our shared values and maintain the high standards of excellence that define our school.”

Her letter was dated March 28, and posted to the school’s website on April 2. According to the online application materials, Region 3, Trojcak’s future employer, is heading up the superintendent search for the school. This is their third superintendent search in as many years that began with the departure of longtime principal/superintendent Jason Appelt, who left in 2022 for a job with Yoakum ISD as director of the DeWitt-Lavaca Special Education Cooperative. The first search brought Joey Patek to Vysehrad. He’s a recently retired superintendent for several much larger districts, including Hallettsville ISD and, most recently, Rockport ISD. Patek helped lead Rockport through the arduous task of rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which left behind devastating losses throughout that community, utterly leveling one of the school’s campuses as well as destroying several homes and businesses. Patek left within his first year at Vysehrad, citing health concerns. The second search brought Trojcak to the school, who for all her youth and energy held the position about as long as her predecessor did. According to the search materials posted to the school’s website, the Vysehrad school board specifically lists two goals for their new hire. Specifically, they want someone capable of showing noted STAAR reading and math score improvements at the youngest grade levels tested, third graders. Experienced principals and superintendents are preferred, the search materials state, but that’s not a deal breaker. Nor will superintendent candidates be required to live within the school district after they are hired.

Applications are available on the school’s website, but they ask that all contacts about the position go directly to Region 3’s search committee, which includes Dr. Morris Lyon, Tony Williams and Kelly Hauboldt.