WALKER COUNTY
PROUD 2020
DR. DAROL HAIL
A Proven Leader
From the sidelines to the board room,
New Waverly superintendent builds winners
STORY & PHOTOS BY JOSEPH BROWN
Darol Hail never truly envisioned himself as a school administrator.
But, after nearly two decades in leadership, the veteran superintendent at New Waverly
ISD finds himself right at home.
The Odessa native grew up with a strong love for sports, and quickly found himself on
the sideline, coaching football and basketball in his younger years, while teaching english.
“That was all I ever planned to do. I loved coaching and to this day, I like teaching people
things,” Hail said.
However, in a pursuit to coach on the collegiate level, Hail went back to college, earning
his masters degree in school administration.
“No one in my family had ever gone to college, so no one knew to point out that it would
have been better to get a masters in kinesiology,” he added.
The graduate degree came into good use when Hail was the girl’s basketball coach at
Huntsville High School, as he was swiftly promoted into campus administration while at
the same time earning his doctorate. That eventually led him to New Waverly, where he became
principal at the intermediate school and after seven years was moved into his current
role — now as one of the most tenured superintendents in the region.
“It’s not often that you see a school administrator hang aground for 16 years,” Hail said.
“I think some of it is due to the success we have had as a district, but more than anything it
is the people within the school and the community.”
“I have really enjoyed my time
in New Waverly. As a school
administrator, staying long is
surprising, but we’ve been able
to have a lot of success inside
and outside of the classroom and
I think that is due to the great
people we have here. New Waverly
has been a good place for me and
my family and you only hope that
it’s still advenatous to both sides.
THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE
COMMUNITY
As with many small school districts, New
Waverly ISD is the backbone of the small
community in southern Walker County. But
unlike its surrounding school districts, it
operates with limited funding and resources
— an ever-evolving challenge for Hail.
“At a small school you are the community
… economically you are the largest employer
and you almost act like the glue that
brings everyone together,” Hail said. “This
community in particular has always been
really supportive of education, which is not
something that you necessarily get in a larger
community.”
One of the largest challenges for Hail
is teacher retention, as the small district
continues to fall behind in teacher compensation.
The superintendent points out that
young educators can generally do the same
job at Conroe ISD for $20,000 more a year.
But, he notes that the small-town environment
helps the district get teachers who
“want to be here.”
“Many young educators might not know
about New Waverly, but when we get them
in as a student teacher they end up falling in
love with the school and the community just
like I did,” the superintendent noted.
32 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | FALL 2020