Ft Worth Times

Trustees of a North Texas public school district approved the retirement of the longtime superintendent on Monday. 

According to a report from The Cross Timbers Gazette, the Argyle Independent School District (AISD) Board of Trustees passed an item in relation to a retirement agreement for Dr. Telena Wright.

Wright has been at the helm of AISD, which is 30 miles north of Fort Worth, for more than 15 years, the publication reported. 

“It is impossible for me to express how much Dr. Wright means to me and the impact that she has made on this district and the field of education,” school board president Sam Slaton said in the report. “Dr. Wright’s passion to serve this district, her knowledge of the education field, her wisdom, ethics, approachability and care for the wellbeing of all are just a short list of the numerous qualities that speak to how special Dr. Wright is." 

The Cross Timbers Gazette reported that Slaton has known Wright since he was a student at Flower Mound Marcus High School in the nearby Lewisville Independent School District (LISD).

Per the publication, Wright will serve out the remainder of the 2022-2023 academic year, with her official last day on the job slated for June 30. 

Her affiliation with AISD began when she took the job as principal of Argyle High School, her biography on the district’s website states. 

Under Wright’s watch, AISD experienced rapid growth in student enrollment, resulting in the University Scholastic League (UIL) placing Argyle High in Class 5A at the start of the current school year.

The district said that additional schools were approved at the ballot box during her administration. 

Wright holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin (UT), a master's degree from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and a doctorate from the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton. 

She’s also an adjunct instructor at UNT.

According to The Cross Timbers Gazette, Wright guided AISD to an “A” accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and a district score of 97 last year, which is the highest ever attained by the district. 

“Her imprint on this district will forever be cemented,” Slaton said, the publication reported. “We are blessed as a district to have had her as our superintendent, and wish her and her family all of the best.”