During a called meeting held Friday, June 18, the North Forest Independent School District board of trustees named Dr. James Simpson, currently superintendent of the Crockett Independent School District, as the lone finalist for its superintendents position. By law, the board must now wait 21 days before it can name Dr. Simpson to the position.
The decision to make Simpson finalist was unanimous, with member board Maxine Lane-Seals, Fran Gentry, Mae Sykes, James Leonard, Barbara Gaston, and Allen Provost casting affirmative votes. Board member John Kyles was not present for the meeting.
Simpson, 40, has been Crockett superintendent since 2003. Prior to becoming Crockett superintendent, he was principal at the Carnegie Van Guard High School in the Houston ISD. He has also been an assistant principal at Westfield High School in the Spring ISD.
Simpson earned a Ph.D. in educational administration from Texas A&M University, and he holds a masters degree in educational administration from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. His bachelors, also from Sam Houston State, is in mathematics.