Dr. Hafedh Azaiez took the reins of the Round Rock Independent School District at a time of seismic shift in public education. The sprawling school district located in the northern suburbs of Austin, Texas, has long enjoyed a stellar reputation as a destination district. But when Azaiez was hired as Superintendent in 2021, Round Rock ISD, like districts across the nation, was still reeling from the effects of the pandemic – virtual instruction, declining enrollment, teacher burnout, and, the perineal challenge for public schools, insufficient funding.