San Antonio Independent School District Deputy Superintendent Dr. Shawn Bird has been named Chief Academic Officer in the Division of Teaching and Learning at Gwinnett County Public Schools outside Atlanta, Georgia.
Bird has been serving as deputy superintendent for SAISD since 2023.
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During his time at SAISD, KSAT Investigates discovered that Bird took 17 trips on the district’s behalf since mid-2024. His trips were part of the more than $46,000 the district spent on travel for Bird and six other members of its executive cabinet.
Records show one of those trips was to a leadership conference at the University of Virginia.
Receipts show the district originally bought Bird a round-trip flight from San Antonio, which cost $1,045.62. However, another receipt showed Bird changed his flight to leave from Houston, then return to Kahului, Hawaii, totaling $1,070.57.
KSAT asked Bird about the trip and why he did not pay for the flight from Virginia to Hawaii.
“You know, you bring up a good point, and I would not,” Bird said. “That’s how I would do it in the future if I was ever going to travel personally after district businesses. That’s exactly what I would do.”
KSAT Investigates looked into the travel records of the cabinet and the district’s superintendent after it was reported that SAISD was facing a $46 million dollar deficit. The district has closed campuses and cut some popular programs from schools.
SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino announced in March he will retire from the district in January 2027.
Gwinnett County Public Schools did not say when Byrd would begin his new role with the district.
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