Bowie Principal Mark Robinson retired this January after nine years as principal at Bowie High School. In the 2026-2027 school year, Bowie will be under the leadership of a new principal, but before then, the campus is in a transitional phase.
According to Austin Independent School District (AISD) the decision on who the principal will be ultimately comes down to the superintendent and the school board. What they look for in a principal is based on the AISD Leadership Framework, which is a document that has information on the ideal characteristics of an AISD principal. According to the document available on the AISD website, the AISD Leadership Framework is composed of four different characteristics: an instructional leader, a talent developer, an executive leader, and a culture leader.
“Choosing a principal of a school, especially a school like Bowie, where we are the biggest school in Austin ISD, takes a lot of time and energy, ” Academic Director Kaylin Brett said. “The district likes to hear from the staff, the students, and the parents. The reason it takes so long is because we need to make sure the new principal is a perfect fit.”
Based on the AISD Leadership Framework document, an instructional leader is a person with the ability to empower, lead, and build the campus community. A talent developer can grow a highly effective school community and bring people together by encouraging emotional success and an executive leader implements systems that follow the district’s guidelines. A culture builder creates a positive student body that is inclusive and engages community members.
“I think it’s going to be interesting to see what the changes are going to be,” freshman Kai Hedenberg said. “I hope the new principal is nice and bonds with the students and I think that people will have mixed opinions on any new rules that could be enforced”
The community plays a large role in deciding on a good candidate for principal, according to Brett. On February 3, there was a principal profile meeting at Bowie where parents and students could express what they hope to see in a principal.
“I hope that the new principal always puts the community around Bowie first, ” math teacher Lou Kuhn said. “I hope they really love South Austin, love our school and want to spend a lot of time here.”
According to the Texas Education Workforce Report at UT Austin, principals have an important impact on students. Their research shows the principal workforce trends over the last decade and the achievement levels of students and the report encourages equal distribution of inspiring leaders across Texas no matter the school type or community. Dr. Cathryn Mitchell has filled in as the Administrative Substitute after being principal of Gorzycki Middle School.
“Not having our principal is a big loss because Mr. Robinson really oversaw a lot of great things, but with Dr. Mitchell coming in, she knows a lot of our students and she knows a lot of our families,” Brett said. “She’s so excited to come back and see her kiddos that she remembers. So, I really don’t feel like it’s going to be a rocky transition because she already knows so much and she’s been a principal in AISD for years.”
Dr. Mitchell has been an administrative substitute for many schools such as Ann Richards and according to Brett, Bowie is the sixth school that she has substituted for since retiring.
“When I found out that Dr. Mitchell was a substitute at Bowie. I was so excited because I got to work for her for six years at Gorzycki Middle School when I was teaching there,” Kuhn said. “I love seeing her as a principal. I think she’s an amazing leader and a great advocate for teachers, students, and our community.”
The student body will find out who their new principal will be in May. According to Brett the new principal will officially be in office in July.
“I hope the next principal is a learner who comes in and sees how we do things,” Brett said. “I want every kid and every staff member to feel connected to Bowie and I hope the next principal is really committed to building that connection.”
