“Superintendent of the Year” has a good ring to it. Port Arthur Independent School District Superintendent Mark Porterie was named just that over 34 other school districts in Region 5, of which PAISD is a part.

A first for PAISD, as superintendent has not been named “Superintendent of the Year” before this.

Dr. Porterie took the reins of the school district in 2014, after seeing many years of mismanagement and struggle that plagued the district. It was his passion and intimate caring for the future of our children and community that has made him overwhelming choice for this award.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Porterie worked tirelessly to start school as quickly as possible. His humility would tell you that this was an entire school district success. And he’s right, but with 89 percent of the school structures affected, his leadership made this happen.

To this day, he is still not back at his own home after Harvey flooding destroyed it. This is probably not a fact that many people know as Porterie’s main focus was the district, faculty and children, and not necessarily in that order.

To say we have a gem of a man we call “Superintendent Porterie” in this position, does not give him due justice. He is oh-so-much more than that. He is a leader who leads by example. He understands that he is just one piece of a puzzle that must work together to succeed. He knows how to motivate faculty and students alike. And he knows how to get the job done through proper planning and implementation.

Since taking the helm, Porterie has been pivotal in the turnaround seen throughout the district. Academic Achievement Goals had not been met for years prior to Porterie taking over. Check that off the list.

In communities the size of PAISD that have similar problems throughout their district, four years would not seem like enough time to instill the change needed to revamp a failing district. Is PAISD 100? Not yet, but I have no doubt under Porterie’s continued leadership, it’s not far off.

When we talk about change in our community and being able to set a foundation for it’s future, it starts at a level much higher than many of us. The foundation, of which Porterie is establishing at PAISD, is the foundation that the city of Port Arthur will soon prosper from. For the youth is our tomorrow. And tomorrow is the future.

Kudos to Dr. Mark Porterie for being a true leader for our community. Kudos to future that leadership will bring with it.

Rich Macke is publisher of the Port Arthur News.