Aransas Pass ISD board accepts superintendent's resignation, appoints Wayne Bennett as acting superintendent

The Aransas Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees on April 30 accepted the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Glenn Barnes and voted 5–1 to appoint Wayne Bennett as acting superintendent, the board announced after reconvening from a closed executive session.

The action followed a public comment period in which several community members and district employees urged the board to appoint Bennett, who has served in multiple leadership roles in the district. Trustee Hill moved to accept Barnes's resignation "as presented in executive session," a motion the board carried by a 5–1 vote. Trustee Hill then moved to appoint Bennett as acting superintendent; that motion also passed 5–1.

Why it matters: The board’s votes begin a leadership transition ahead of an upcoming Saturday election to fill a seventh trustee seat. Trustees said they expect to complete transition steps, including canvassing election results and any remaining administrative decisions, at their May 12 regular meeting.

Public support for Bennett Hannah Coulter, a 12th-year teacher at Aransas Pass High School, told the board she was speaking for her campus and that Bennett had been a mentor and an "experienced educator and administrator" who had supported staff through hurricanes and the pandemic. "Wayne Bennett is that leader," she said, urging trustees to consider him for superintendent.

Henry Morales, who identified himself as 'Henry Morales or Judge Morales,' said Bennett would bring stability and cited his service in multiple district roles, including assistant superintendent. Lori Davila, a district employee and parent of three APISD students, said Bennett's decades of service (she cited 38 years) showed loyalty and commitment to the district.

Blaise Miller, communications coordinator for Aransas Pass ISD (speaking as a taxpayer, parent and district employee), told trustees there was no legal requirement to conduct an outside superintendent search and pointed to board policy and the trustees’ oath, saying community survey results and remarks at earlier meetings showed strong local support for Bennett. "APISD already has a highly qualified, deeply respected, and community supported assistant superintendent," Miller said.

Martin Garcilaso, a former student of Bennett’s and now a parent, described Bennett’s presence at school events and urged the board to appoint him as a long-term solution for the district.

Executive session and board statements The board convened a closed executive session under the Texas Open Meetings Act (Texas Government Code §551.071 and §551.074) to discuss personnel matters, leadership transition and consultation with counsel. After returning to open session at 10:00 p.m., the board announced the votes accepting Barnes’s resignation and appointing Bennett as acting superintendent.

Chair remarks and next steps Chair (speaker 1) thanked Dr. Barnes for his work at "Panther Nation," recognized his completion of superintendent training programs, and said the trustees appreciated his efforts to build district accountability and a strategic plan. The chair noted the upcoming Saturday election that will fill the board’s seventh seat and said the board expects to accept election results and continue transition work at the May 12 regular meeting.

What the board did not specify The open-session record provides the vote tallies (5–1) but does not record individual roll-call votes by trustee name in the transcript provided. The board did not announce a timeline for a full superintendent appointment beyond the interim action naming Bennett acting superintendent.

The meeting adjourned at 10:05 p.m.