After serving 30 years in public education and the last 20 years in Granbury ISD, longtime administrator Jimmy Dawson has announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2024.
Dawson has spent the last three years as GISD’s assistant superintendent and was the Director of Career and Technical Education for a year prior. Dawson spent his first 16 years in GISD as principal of both middle school campuses – four years at Granbury Middle School (2003-07) and 12 years at Acton Middle School (2008-20).
“In my 30-year career, I have been fortunate to serve 20 of those years in Granbury ISD,” Dawson said. “William Harris, former superintendent of GISD, gave me a chance to join the principal team in 2003, and I have been blessed to work with some fantastic leaders and educators over the years. It has been a true blessing to raise my family in this wonderful community and I look forward to continuing to serve the community in a new role.”
Prior to joining Granbury ISD, Dawson began his public education career in the Texas panhandle, spending six years in Borger ISD as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal. He then worked four years as a principal in Plainview ISD.
In his career, Dawson led AMS to a “Texas School to Watch” designation as principal in 2016. He is a two-time Principal of the Year winner by the Plainview Daily Herald, Tarleton State University’s Instructional Leadership Award recipient (2009), a beneficiary of the HEB Principal Excellence in Education Award (2011) and the Hood County United Way “We Care Award” in 2018.
Dawson has also served the Granbury community in numerous ways as a United Way board member and has been a part of Kiwanis Club and Rotary Club in Hood County.