McAllen ISD superintendent J.A. Gonzalez says he’s ready for a change, and plans to accept a potential offer from a different school district to serve as their superintendent.

On Tuesday, the Harlingen CISD school board announced they selected Gonzalez as the lone finalist for the superintendent position, according to a news release.

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Due to a state law, Harlingen CISD must go through a 21-day waiting period before they can officially offer the job to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has been with the McAllen school district for 26 years, and served as its superintendent for eight of those years. 

When asked why he would accept the superintendent position with Harlingen CISD, Gonzalez said the district is a good place to work at, and a place to move his family.

“They have a hard-working staff, their school board is second to none,” Gonzalez said. “When you look at all those things, and you put them together, it's just a desirable destination.”

Though he is under contract at McAllen ISD until 2025, Gonzalez said he is free to leave early.

The Texas Education Agency website states Gonzalez earned a salary of $267,000 for the 2022-2023 school year. He said he couldn’t go over his new salary as salary negotiations at Harlingen CISD are still being finalized.

The McAllen School Board meeting is set to hold a special meeting Thursday evening to discuss and possibly appoint an acting superintendent.