The Mercedes ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Benjamin Clinton as superintendent and approved his contract during a public meeting, trustees said.

Board members moved and seconded a motion to appoint Dr. Benjamin Clinton and to approve the contract as discussed in executive session. “So, I move to appoint doctor Benjamin Clinton as superintendent of schools and approve his contract as discussed in executive session,” a board member said, and the motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

The appointment matters because it fills the district’s top leadership post and sets the district’s administrative direction, trustees said. Trustees and community speakers offered congratulations and urged the new superintendent to prioritize transparency and campus visits.

In debate and public remarks, several trustees and community members welcomed Clinton to “Tiger Nation,” praised the district’s staff and students, and urged an open-door approach to ease staff concern. One board member thanked Mrs. Venezia for stepping into a leadership role during the interim period and noted the board’s collective choice to move forward with Clinton’s contract.

Dr. Benjamin Clinton told the board he was “eager to get started,” said he looked forward to working with staff and the community, and expressed commitment to serving Mercedes ISD “for the long haul.”

After the vote, trustees signed duplicate originals of the contract; the board also discussed posting appointment materials on the district website. Meeting remarks referenced an anticipated start date of February 1 (year not specified) during the signing process.

The board returned to executive session after completing the appointment to discuss other matters, the presiding officer said. The motion to appoint was recorded as passing unanimously, and trustees said they expected Clinton to work with staff and the community to pursue district goals.

Details not specified in the record include the full text of the contract and the contract’s year-by-year terms; trustees said the contract had been discussed in executive session prior to the public vote.