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Williams Goes to Work

February 22, 2007

By BRIAN ALLEN / Today Newspapers

New Cedar Hill Superintendent Horace Williams brings a variety of experiences to the job, including a stint at the helm at a juvenile facility in the Houston ISD.

Williams said his time as principal at Harris County Youth Village taught him a great deal about how to reach all children.

“In understanding children, you learn children have problems at home,” he said. “You have troubled kids and kids that come to us with differing degrees of home experiences, but their minds are ready to be molded. It’s still good to see some of those kids. One of them walks up and hugs you and you find out they’ve been successful. They’ve been successful and they have kids of their own even though they had problems as a teenager.”

Williams didn’t even plan to be a teacher at first, let alone an administrator. He was working in cartography with the intention of being involved in the oil industry.

But the oil bust of the 1980s led to other ideas.

Williams’ mother was a school board member for more than 20 years and she strongly encouraged him to pursue a career in education.

“I was in the classroom 3-4 years, teaching science and social studies,” he said. “I had a principal decide I needed to be an administrator and she more than strongly encouraged me to do so. She said she was going to die on the job and I was going to be the next principal. Ironically, she had an aneurysm and I became the principal.”

Williams went from Harris County Youth Village to become principal at Phyllis Wheatley High School. The institution has a strong history with alumni including NFL legend Lester Hayes, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and jazz musician Joe Sample.

“They were in transition,” Williams said. “There was a population change going on in the community with a growing Hispanic population and we had a lot of problems. We were able to solve a lot of those problems because some of the kids had been in Harris County Youth Village. We had a lot of discipline problems, low-test scores and a high dropout rate. We had a lot of help from the community, the staff, parents and kids making it happen.”

From there Williams journeyed to a high school in Yonkers, N.Y.

“Once again it was a school in transition,” Williams said. “They had some problems that a lot of schools were having post-Columbine. It was a matter of changing the mindset and the expectations. After leaving there I was a superintendent for the Roosevelt Union School District.”

Though initially unsure whether he wanted to pursue a career in administration, Williams did get his superintendent’s certification.

He decided it would be better for him to have it and not need it than one day need it and not have it.

When an opportunity to return to Texas as superintendent for Diboll arose, Williams took it in January 2006.

He liked it a lot and had to seriously weigh whether he would leave the area for Cedar Hill.

“It’s got to be the best small town school district in Texas,” Williams said. “It was a really supportive community and I had a super board. I haven’t seen kids as great as the kids in Diboll. I applied for Cedar Hill because it was a larger district and a suburban area. It offered some of the same challenges I was used to dealing with on a regular basis. It just provided me an opportunity to do what I do for a larger number of kids.”

The new superintendent’s first step was meeting with every central office employee, member of the custodial staff, main staff and individual sitdowns with every board member. He’s also met with Mayor Rob Franke and City Manager Alan Sims, as well as executive board members of the chamber of commerce.

“I visited all the schools my first two days here,” Williams said. “We have some very dedicated and caring people as well as great facilities. You have a board that’s very focused on the students.

“If it weren’t for that board commitment, there’s no way I would have left Diboll because I had it there. All the community leaders I’ve met have a true sense of community. Everyone I’ve spoken to wants to see the school district be successful and it’s not just talk. They’re willing to help.”

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