Meet Dr. Mike Waldrip
New Frisco ISD superintendent takes the reins of the state’s
fastest-growing school district.
G
rowing up in a small town in West
Texas, there was never any doubt
that Mike Waldrip and his younger
brother would go to college.
“It was a non-negotiable as far as my
father was concerned,” Waldrip said. “He
didn’t really care what we did or where
we studied, but we were going to college
because he always felt like it was going
to do things for us that he and my mom
never had the ability to do because they
lacked that kind of education.”
The Waldrip family viewed education
as a gateway to success – a philosophy
Mike carried with him and has shared
with thousands of students over the
course of his 35-year career as a school
teacher, coach and administrator.
Now in the top job at Frisco ISD, many
of the lessons he learned as a young per-
son, such as the importance of hard work
and personal relationships, have shaped
the leader and educator he is today.
As a student in Post, Texas – a rural
community founded by C.W. Post, who
launched Post Cereals – Waldrip played
every sport available, including football,
basketball and track. He says his coaches,
along with his fourth grade teacher, in-
spired him to pursue a career in education.
“I made that decision very early on
that that’s what I wanted to do with my
life,” he said. “I just remember thinking
in middle school, it would be really cool
to teach and coach because these guys
look like they’re having a lot of fun doing
what they’re doing.”
Dr. Mike Waldrip spent 12 years
in Frisco ISD before becoming
superintendent of Coppell ISD in
2014. He returned to FISD in July.
FOCUS | 7