The Texarkana ISD Board of Trustees appointed Ben Renner as the new principal of Texas High School. Renner is a former colleague of Superintendent Doug Brubaker, and they served for several years together at Mansfield ISD in Mansfield, Texas.
Bringing in a loyalist as Texas High principal will help concentrate Superintendent Doug Brubaker's power following the departure of Patti O'Bannon. Ben Renner will officially begin his job in July.
Mansfield ISD is rated #11 in the state of Texas for its culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion by the education data company Niche, and Texarkana residents may be surprised to learn that Texarkana ISD is rated just behind it at #12 in the state under the leadership of Doug Brubaker out of more than 1,000 Texas school districts.
The diversity ranking is based on surveys of all students, faculty, staff, and other data points. Supt. Brubaker has faced controversy for hiding an agreement to provide all TISD student data to the racial equity organization Equal Opportunity Schools (click here to read).
For almost one year, Supt. Brubaker has refused to answer questions about the unusually secretive arrangement with the racial equity organization.
Renner was appointed the new Principal of Texas High School by the Texarkana ISD Board of Trustees during a special meeting two days after three Board of Trustees members retained their position on the May 6, 2023 election.
Ben Renner currently serves as Principal of Cleburne High School in the Cleburne Independent School District. Renner has over 20 years of secondary administrative experience, with the previous eight years serving as principal at both the middle and high school levels, according to TISD.
Renner has a bachelor's degree in English and a master's in Educational Leadership and Policies from the University of Texas in Arlington.
The TISD press release never mentioned Supt. Brubaker's previous relationship with Renner, However, the superintendent praised Renner's commitment to student success, innovative ideas, and collaborative approach.
Ben Renner began his educational career at Arlington ISD and served at Joshua ISD for many years.
Renner's tenure at Cleburne High School had faced some recent issues. In October 2022, fighting and other violence were an issue on campus, according to local news reports. However, Ben Renner categorically denied any weapons were found. Click here to read more.
The Cleburne Times-Review reported that many parents pulled their children out of school due to the fighting amid rumors of future violence. However, the school district alleged much of the concern was caused by misinformation.
The new principal will be actively involved in construction on the campus following TISD's narrow bond election win in November 2022 after it was alleged that the school district lied to voters and a banner of Jesus opposing the bond issue was removed from the front of the Texas High School campus.
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