By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
During a special meeting on Tuesday of the Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees, the board voted 6-0 to approve the hiring of Roger McNeel as the new principal at Copperas Cove Jr. High School for the 2025-26 school year.
McNeel comes to Copperas Cove ISD from Huntsville, where he has been an HISD administrator since 2020, serving as assistant principal at Huntsville High School from 2020-2022, associate principal from 2022-24, and was the principal at Huntsville Elementary School for 2024-2025.
Amanda Crawley, Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services, said that McNeel was one of four selected for interviews, and among three who were able to attend an interview.
She called it a “tough decision,” but the committee believed he shined above the rest. The committee was made up of Crawley, Clifford Heath (CCISD’s Chief Financial Officer), and Marshall Chauvin, principal of S.C. Lee Junior High School.
“He talked about Capturing Kids’ Hearts (program) and quite a few other things that we have going on here. He had some good knowledge and great things that he had implemented, and he was ready to talk about what that would look like here as well,” Crawley said. “He also has some background with campuses who are struggling academically and moving them forward and working through those processes internally.”
Trustee Jeff Gorres asked if the district had any internal candidates who applied for the position. Crawley said there were four, and one of them had been selected for an interview.
Gorres expressed his concerns with the junior high continuity of leadership, and the number of principals the campus has had in the past 10 years, not including multiple assistant principals. The number of principals is five, and McNeel will be the sixth principal the campus has had since 2016.
“We have asked this before about commitment to the organization. So, was that question asked by the committee?” Gorres asked, adding that he was concerned about the district looking for new administrators two years or so down the road.
Crawley told him that they did ask, and they also looked at McNeel’s tenure at HISD.
Superintendent Hawkins said there was really no way to gauge that.
“I’ve had people tell me that, ‘Hey, this is my dream job. This is the only job I’ll ever want.’ And six months later, they’re in that dream job, and they’re applying everywhere for another job,” Hawkins said.
“I concur, but it’s still a consideration, right?” Gorres said. “It’s worrisome for me that the campus has gone through a significant number of leaders in the last decade across the board…All I’m saying is, I expect a little bit of continuity and commitment to the staff and the students of that campus.”
Trustee John Gallen echoed Gorres’ comment on commitment.
“The same question asked at the AP interviews about what’s your commitment to the district? How long are you staying? I think Jeff is making a great point, because we do want that commitment,” Gallen said. “And Dr. Hawkins opened this up with, ‘Hey, we had very little turnover,’ which means people are happy here. The culture is good, and we aren’t going to get a huge turnover. And you have a commitment to the Copperas Cove Independent School District.”
Crawley said that in looking at his career in education, McNeel does not profile on his resume as a job hopper.
“He did talk about wanting to bring his children here because of the academics and he was very excited about the educational opportunities that are here, that he doesn’t have in his current district for his family,” she said.
“I am very excited to join the Bulldawg family,” McNeel said in a statement issued by the district. “I truly believe I’ve been called into this career to make a difference, and I feel like this is exactly where I’m meant to be. I lead with a servant mindset and can’t wait to get to know the incredible staff, students and community of Copperas Cove Junior High.”
Prior to Huntsville, McNeel worked as an assistant principal at Willis High School from 2017-20. McNeel worked as a math teacher in both Huntsville and Willis before moving to an administration role. Before moving to administration, McNeel also led efforts in positive behavior intervention and support and served on multiple district or campus advisory groups.
McNeel holds a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and both a master’s degree and principal certification from Lamar University.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Hawkins announced the reassignment of Copperas Cove High School Girls Athletic Coordinator/Head Volleyball Coach Christy Thompson to the position of Assistant Athletic Director in addition to her coaching duties.
The Board of Trustees is scheduled to hold its regular June workshop on Monday, June 9 at noon and the regular meeting on Tuesday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Board Room at the CCISD Service & Training Center on South Main Street. Workshops and meeting are recorded and uploaded to the CCISD YouTube channel within 48 hours.
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