Prosper ISD's Board of Trustees has completed first-round interviews with candidates to become the district's next superintendent, the district confirmed in its Tuesday, Sept. 15 newsletter.

The milestone moves the search past the interview-launch stage the district announced in its Sept. 8 newsletter. A Monday, Sept. 28 board meeting is the next scheduled public checkpoint, though the district has not said whether that meeting will include a vote, additional interviews or another update.

The board spent roughly nine hours in closed executive sessions this week to discuss the search, as we reported on the closed sessions Wednesday.

The district has not named any candidates.

It also has not disclosed how many people were interviewed or how many remain under consideration. The search has moved quickly through its public stages: the Sept. 1 newsletter said the board was reviewing supplemental applications from selected candidates, the Sept. 8 edition confirmed interviews had begun, and the Sept. 15 update marked them complete.

Impact Education Specialists, the search firm the board hired this summer, laid out a timeline at a June 17 work session projecting interviews in September and October and a start during the fall semester. Doug Williams, a partner at the firm, told the board the goal was finding the right fit for Prosper specifically.

"We're not going to be going after the best superintendent," Williams said at the June session, according to Community Impact. "We're going to be going after the best superintendent for you."

Williams said the new superintendent would have time to learn the district before planning for the 2027-28 school year begins in the spring.

The search is replacing former Superintendent Holly Ferguson, who announced her retirement in March. Acting Superintendent Bill McLaughlin, who has 33 years of experience in public education and previously served as deputy superintendent, has led the district since May while the board conducts its search.

Prosper ISD serves nearly 35,000 students across 31 campuses spanning roughly 58 square miles in Collin and Denton counties. Voters approved a $2.7 billion bond package for the district in November 2023.

The district calendar also lists the Walnut Grove homecoming parade on Wednesday, Sept. 16 and the Rock Hill homecoming parade on Wednesday, Sept. 23.