Supt. Lamb leaving SSISD for Little Elm

Sulphur Springs Independent School District Superintendent Michael Lamb announced Thursday he would be leaving to become superintendent of the Little Elm schools.

The Little Elm ISD, located 30 miles north of Dallas in Denton County, was in the market for a leader of the school district after their superintendent David Gallagher announced his retirement earlier this year.

Lamb, who would have celebrated 11 years with SSISD on May 1, called the Little Elm position 'a great opportunity.'

Lamb was chosen from more than 60 candidates for the position. In his new post, he will be the superintendent in a 6A district with 8,100 students compared to about 4,200 at Sulphur Springs ISD.

'I like it here and I really hadn't been looking for a job in a while. I had a close friend bring the job posting to my attention in January. I got involved and found out more about it, and it kind of snowballed after that. It's a great opportunity,' Lamb said.

'I love Sulphur Springs — the people, the district and the town. I am living the word 'bittersweet.' I want to take the position, but I love it here. I think we have done some great things in Sulphur Springs in my time. We have a tremendous school board, teachers and staff. I am very proud of our accomplishments. The things we did here are a reason that Little Elm talked to me. They want the same sort of thing to happen in their district. I am up to that challenge.'

Lamb said he likes the location of Little Elm and feels like it has the conveniences of the city and is a special place.

Lamb will work at Sulphur Springs through April, and officially start in Little Elm on May 1. Ironically, it was on May 1 that Lamb started in Sulphur Springs more than a decade ago.

The SSISD board giving Lamb his first job as a superintendent.

'This was a really tough decision, ' Lamb said. 'I moved around early in my career. Then I found Sulphur Springs, a place we like and we stayed. I think the average superintendent in Texas serves 3.5 years, I broke that average. I stayed here for our family more than 10 years, I didn't want to move.'

Lamb, 48, a native of Wills Point, said the challenges available at Little Elm were just too great an opportunity to pass up.

'I will always love Sulphur Springs and appreciate the board for believing in me by giving me the chance to be a first-time superintendent,' Lamb said. 'Now I can take that knowledge with to my new position. I want to carry forward everything I have learned,' Lamb said. 'Little Elm, like many districts, is still recovering from Covid. We want to move in the right direction.'

Lamb said, 'This is an advancement for me, but I will remember what we accomplished here in Sulphur Springs.'

Craig Roberts, Sulphur Board of Trustees president, said he is already working to call a special SSISD meeting to begin the search for a replacement for Lamb.

'We will know more next week, but we're working on it now,' Roberts said. 'We want to take action quickly, but make a diligent search to find the right person. This is a critical time of year with spring break coming up. We will discuss the process.'

Roberts said, 'Mike is a friend and will always be a friend. He's like family. I wish him well in Little Elm, I hope he comes back and retires in Sulphur Springs because I know he loves the community. We will miss him, it's an exciting time for him. It's an exciting time for us to go to the next level. With Mike here we went through the pandemic and handled it with greatness.'

Roberts said when the special meeting is called, the board will begin the process of finding a new superintendent, no time table has been discussed.

Sulphur Springs trustee Jason Dietze said, 'SSISD is very sad to see Mr. Lamb leaving the district. Mike has been a great Superintendent for us for over 10 years. That is a long tenure for a superintendent, which speaks to what a great job he has done for us. Mike’s energy and personality, along with his passion for education and for people have been a driving force to the many successes we have had under his leadership. He will be missed. We wish him well in his next opportunity. We are excited too to see the candidates that apply to be our next superintendent. This is a great school district and community to be a part of. We believe there will be many very qualified applicants.'

The following is a posting from the Little Elm school district concerning the hiring of Lamb: LITTLE ELM ISD NAMES 27 YEAR VETERAN MICHAEL LAMB AS LONE FINALIST IN SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH At the special board meeting of the Little Elm ISD Board of Trustees on March 9, Little Elm ISD named Michael Lamb as the Lone Finalist in its search for the District’s next superintendent. With that announcement, the Board will now observe the state-required 21 day waiting period before officially approving Mr. Lamb.

Mr. Lamb currently holds the position of Superintendent for Sulphur Springs Independent School District. While leading Sulphur Springs ISD for the last 11 years, the district received a Superior on TEA FIRST Rating, developed strategic plans, and oversaw multiple construction projects. He has 27 years of experience in education as a Superintendent at Sulphur Springs ISD, Executive Director of Secondary Education at Forney ISD, Principal at Huntsville ISD, Assistant Principal at McKinney ISD, Coaching and Teaching Math experience from Lindale ISD and Wills Point ISD. Mr. Lamb received his Bachelor of Science in Math and his Masters of Education in Administration from Texas A&M Commerce.

Some of Lamb’s achievements and awards include:

•TASA Executive Committee Representative Region 8 (2021 – Present)

•Thompson Executive Leadership Institute Superintendent Academy Member (2019-2020)

•Chairman of Regions 8 Executive RAC (2020 -2022)

•ESC 8 Regional Superintendent of the Year (2018)

•Hunt/Hopkins County African American Leadership Conference Superintendent of the Year (2013)

•Forney ISD Administrator of the Year (2009-2010)

In January, the Little Elm ISD Board of Trustees selected Arrow Educational Services, Inc. to assist in the superintendent search process. That process included input and feedback from parents, employees, and community members through surveys and meetings. From that feedback, a profile was developed that led to the identification of potential candidates.

The District received 60 applications from inside and outside the state. Little Elm ISD Board President Jason Olson said that the board focused on the candidates who were from Texas or had previously worked in the state because of their familiarity with the Texas education system. “Then, the board reviewed everyone’s files and decided to interview seven applicants from seven different districts.” said Olson. “We are elated at the opportunity of having Mr. Lamb lead our district. He is a proven and experienced academic leader and we are excited to bring him on board to help us achieve our vision of becoming THE Destination District,” said Olson.