CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A beloved CCISD administrator is making the jump across the bay to Gregory-Portland ISD this summer. With his impact over the last decade, some want to know why he’s making the transition.
For the last three years Dr. Bruce Wilson has led Roy Miller High School as the principal. After this school year, he will be come the executive director of school leadership for G-PISD.
Wilson said there’s no hidden agenda behind taking a new job. He said using his faith, it feels like the timing is right.
“There are people that just want to apply for every job that becomes available, within their own district or even out of their district," said Wilson. "That is not how I have operated. I’ve always been selective in things and making sure it’ll be the perfect fit, most of all, for the students. And that I can fit their needs and lead a staff that would also adhere to those needs.”
With the impact he’s been able to make in his current position, some don’t want to see him go. School board member Alice Upshaw Hawkins said it may be impossible to replace him.
“Kids respect him and I know that he aspires to go higher in CCISD and that’s one of the things that I'd like to see happen," Upshaw Hawkins said. "Because we don’t have any people of color at the main building.”
With minority representation in the school's district a concern for Upshaw Hawkins, Wilson stands by administration decisions and said he doesn’t feel he’s been looked past for any jobs. He is selective in what he applies for.
“No I don’t feel like I've been passed over at all," Wilson said. "I think things have just worked out how they’re supposed to work out. And that’s—I wholeheartedly believe that. And I believe in the district leadership here and the decisions they make and the timing they make those decisions.”
The new position is a step higher in administration for Wilson. He will be the liaison between principals and assistant principals and district leadership.
“That will be my main focus, on how we can move all of our leaders, not just the building principals but assistant principals, so that we all have a role on moving students forward academically," he said. "Helping teachers to become better teachers.”
As for filling his position, it is Upshaw Hawkins hope another minority steps into the role.
“They need somebody that they can look up to," she said. "That can inspire them and even get them on the right track when they’re going down the wrong track. And I think that is so important to have. Someone who actually looks like you that can speak with authority and that can speak with promise...
Getting Blacks and people of color into our district, we’re going to have to go hard at recruiting. And that’s something I'm planning on hoping to have a conversation about. That we can reach out to some of the historically black colleges.”
“We do push to be mindful of having representation of our kids in our leaders," Dr. Roland Hernandez said, CCISD Superintendent. "We do have many Hispanic leaders, White leaders. We need to do a better job of hiring some Asian leaders as well, more African-Americans. And we have many in the assistant principal roles.”
Wilson won’t assume his new role until mid-July. Until then he’s focused on finishing the school year strong. The graduating class of 2021 are students he’s been with for nine years. It’ll be the second graduating class he’s been with for a majority of their education. He was their principal at George Evans Elementary School and then at Robert Driscoll Middle School.
“I even have a gift card this graduating class gave me at Evans that they signed when they were in elementary school," said Wilson. "They signed the card and it has a gift card in it. And I never used the gift card. So I kept it. I kept it with their little bad signatures, bad handwriting, it was fourth grade writing. But I've kept it since then. I’ll have to spend it if the business is still open.”
CCISD is returning to in-person graduation ceremonies this spring.
