Lone finalist for Whitehouse ISD superintendent, Dr. Casey Whittle, left, with Board of Trustees president Dr. Todd Raabe, right. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Dr. Casey Whittle is the lone finalist for the position of Whitehouse ISD superintendent, the Whitehouse ISD board of trustees announced Monday.

This comes after former Whitehouse ISD Superintendent Dr. Christopher Moran headed to West Texas in January to serve as superintendent of San Angelo ISD. The move was announced in November about Moran, who was with the school district for eight years.

“He left us in really good shape,” Whitehouse ISD Board President Dr. Todd Raabe said. “He did a wonderful job for us, so we were able to attract a number of really qualified applicants.”

According to Raabe, there were 40 applicants for the superintendent position and six were interviewed before the pool was narrowed down to two candidates.

“Anybody who’s played for any coach would probably tell you that you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse, but you’re not staying the same,” Raabe said. “And we were really looking for somebody to move our district forward and we believe Casey can do that. And we couldn’t possibly be more excited.”

Whittle comes to Whitehouse ISD with nearly 25 years dedicated to public education, bringing a depth of experience and knowledge to WISD. He has served as assistant superintendent for human resources at Wylie ISD since 2020.

“Teachers, they have the magic sauce,” Whittle said. “They make the difference, and my job as a leader is to make sure that we’re not creating more obstacles for them to overcome so they can be in their rooms and make the difference and create the sauce so that kids can learn and achieve their potential.”

Whittle received his Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Abilene Christian University, his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Dallas Baptist University, and his Bachelor of Arts in History from Abilene Christian University. He also holds his superintendent’s certification, principal certification (EC-12), and other teaching certificates.

He began his public education career in 2000 as a U.S. History teacher at Stephenville Junior High and High School in Stephenville ISD. He also taught high school English in Garland and Ennis ISDs and coached football in Stephenville, Garland, Ennis, and Wylie ISDs.

Whittle served as the principal of Canyon High School in Comal ISD for three years. Prior to that, he spent 11 years in Wylie ISD, where he held various teaching and administrative leadership roles, including two years as Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum.

Whittle and his wife, Emily, a school counselor, met at Abilene Christian University during their time as student-athletes. Emily will be continuing her services as a counselor at Whitehouse ISD. They have two children, Keaton, who is 13, and Adelyn, who is 12.

“I’m so thankful for the board of trustees and for giving me the opportunity and my family,” Whittle said. “We are just beyond excited and grateful and humble to come to Whitehouse and to serve the students and staff and community of Whitehouse ISD to forge relationships and continue to learn what makes them great.”

In December, the board of trustees held a special meeting to consider and take possible action regarding the superintendent search process. The board then hired legal consultants David Thompson and Mike Moses of Thompson & Horton, LLP.

During the open session meeting, the consultants presented a detailed timeline for hiring a new superintendent. The process included an active search and recruitment process that involved community and employee engagement by using focus groups to develop a profile for the type of Superintendent desired.

At the beginning of January, the consultants began the posting of advertisements with the Texas Association of School Administrators, TexasISD.com and other national educational publications.

They also mailed out invitations to individuals who were known to have prerequisite skills for the position.

After accepting applications for 30 days, the firm brought several candidates to the board for interview consideration. There were two rounds of interviews, after which the board named a Lone Finalist for the Superintendency, then background checks and final agreements were in place.

“The mission of Whitehouse ISD… and our standard of excellence is to inspire and equip students through innovative and challenging ideas,” Raabe said. “So our goal was to find the person we thought that could inspire our students more than anybody else and could equip them with those types of opportunities. And we really believe Casey is our man.”

In accordance with Texas law, there’s a 21-day waiting period before the school district can sign an employment contract with Whittle. The school board plans to meet with Whittle again on May 6 to finalize the employment contract, and he is expected to begin on June 10.

Whittle said he was both excited and a little nervous.

“But I look forward to just leaning on the people that have been here and the leaders that have been here and learning from them and growing with them and trying to try to continue to grow, continue to put put our best foot forward and make the best choices for kids and teachers and make sure that we’re achieving our goals,” he said.