The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District covers a sprawling 385 square miles southwest of Houston. It’s also one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas, adding 2,000 new students every year for the past four to five years.
The district is led by Roosevelt Nivens, a superintendent with a big-time presence. “The word is out about Lamar CISD,” Nivens says with a laugh.
In fact, Nivens has overseen the opening of 15 new schools since taking the reins in 2021 of Lamar, five alone just last August, bringing the total number of campuses to 59. But the challenges that come with such growth don’t faze Nivens. In fact, at a time when many colleagues nationwide are dealing with the management of decline, he sees the expansive gains as opportunities.
“The foundation of all my decisions is to make sure students have great experiences, experiences that they probably never could have received if it wasn’t for us,” Nivens says.
The word is out about Roosevelt Nivens too. After winning recognition as the 2025 Texas Superintendent of the Year, he was honored Thursday at the AASA national conference in Nashville as this year’s National Superintendent of the Year.
“He’s a once-in-a-lifetime man. I really feel that,” says Mike Shepard, who served as school board president of the Community ISD in north Texas, when Nivens was superintendent there from 2015 to 2021.
Facing ‘Hypergrowth’
Since arriving in Lamar, Nivens, 54, has overseen the passage of two large infrastructure bonds totaling nearly $3.5 billion to secure the funding necessary to handle what he calls “hypergrowth and underfunding” from the state.
That means keeping an eye on the future, too. With new housing developments popping up left and right, Nivens arranged for the district to receive quarterly demographic reports with drone-flyover photos of the entire district, so he and the school board can keep an eye on the growth and prepare for it.
Planning for the future means saving money now. Other districts in Texas have had to adopt deficit operating budgets, so Nivens is closely watching legislative efforts to reduce or eliminate the state property tax. He ensured Lamar CISD established an assigned fund balance to stash funding for the future.
“We won’t grow like this forever,” Nivens says. “Once the growth slows down, it’s our job as leaders of this district to make sure the district is always set up for success in the future.”
Board president Jacci Hotzel praises Nivens for his steady leadership in the face of such challenges—and for encouraging others to be steady, too. “One of the things he’ll tell me is, ‘Jacci, you’ve got to ride the bull longer than eight seconds,’” she says.
Addressing Unmet Needs
Since students “come from all over” to attend school in his district, Nivens wants to give each one an elite education that meets their specific needs.
“This generation is different. We have to do school differently,” he says. “We have to tailor make an educational experience for our young people.”
For example, he championed the launch of a new in-school charter school for students with autism. The Bright Futures Academy at Beasley Elementary will open in August with 100 students from 3-year-olds through 2nd graders. The school’s goal is for students to learn self-regulation skills, along with their academics, to help them succeed. When they’re ready, they can transition back into mainstream classrooms.
“Just because you have autism doesn’t mean you can’t go into the world and be successful,” Nivens says. “We just have to give you the tools to do that.”
The district also is opening a new career and technical education center in August. The Lamar CISD CTE Center, which will open with 800 students, will partner with the new charter school, giving students in CTE courses a chance to learn how to work professionally with people with autism.
“They’ll graduate from Lamar CISD with some [unique] experiences that will help them with their lives,” Nivens says.
But opening new schools and programs hasn’t distracted him from making improvements to existing schools, too.
Nivens is proud of turning an elementary school from a D rating on the Texas Academic Performance Report to an A rating. He coached and mentored the leadership team at Meyer Elementary to establish a culture of shared accountability that also was grounded in data-driven decision-making. Closing achievement gaps in every major subgroup netted the school a National Blue Ribbon Award in 2025.
Rooted in Key Principles
Nivens says three key principles ground his approach to school system leadership:
- He always tries to “speak life” into others.
- He emphasizes the importance of transparency.
- He fosters strong relationships with his board of trustees.
At the heart of his approach are the students, especially the ones who are suffering or struggling. Recalling how he once struggled in school himself, Nivens works hard to hire excellent teachers and clear obstacles from students’ paths. “They’re my whole purpose and passion,” he says.
“I really struggled in school and did not like it,” he says, recalling how demoralized he felt when some of his teachers dismissed him, saying he’d never amount to anything. But other teachers saw something else in him and provided encouragement him. Today, he is committed to making sure that he always hires the right adults to be around the students. And if anyone struggles, that’s when he makes sure to boost their spirits. “You do that by speaking life into people and encouraging them,” he says.
Nivens continues: “You realize how important your time is with young people and how you can help mold them and be partners with their parents and then send those young people out into the world and they can be positive and productive citizens.”
Nivens’ commitment to students always has defined him, according to Michael McFarland, who was superintendent of Lancaster CISD when Nivens was a high school principal there.
Says McFarland: “I have seen him make many courageous decisions and admire his ability to think strategically and lead with purpose while always being driven by doing what is in the best interest of children.”
(Jennifer Larson is a senior editor on Conference Daily Online and a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.)