Clear Creek ISD (CCISD) Superintendent Karen Engle will retire in April, ending a tenure that began in December 2022 at the 46-campus district serving Friendswood, Webster, Seabrook and Clear Lake Shores families.

Engle's departure, announced Monday, Oct. 5, in a district release first reported by Community Impact, leaves the seven-member board of trustees to find a replacement while the district manages declining enrollment and a $23 million budget shortfall.

"Serving the students, families and employees of Clear Creek ISD has been one of the greatest privileges of my career," Engle said in the release.

Board President Jonathan Cottrell praised Engle's record, saying her contributions had "positively impacted thousands of students and staff." The board will begin planning the superintendent transition process and said it will provide updates on next steps and stakeholder input, according to the release. No timeline, search firm or specific next meeting date has been announced.

The seven trustees who will lead the search are Cottrell, Vice President Jessica Cejka, Secretary Jamieson Mackay, Jay Cunningham, Arturo Sanchez, Jeff Larson and Rebecca Lilley.

Engle is a CCISD graduate. She attended Clear Lake City Elementary, Webster Intermediate and Clear Lake High School before earning degrees from Baylor University, the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a doctorate from Bethel University, according to the district's leadership page. She spent decades in CCISD as an assistant principal, an elementary and high school principal, and assistant superintendent of secondary education before retiring in 2021.

The board brought her back in December 2022 after former Superintendent Eric Williams announced his voluntary retirement in July 2022. In 2024, the Texas PTA named Engle Superintendent of the Year.

The next superintendent will take over a district with declining enrollment and a tight budget. CCISD enrollment dropped from 42,388 students in the 2019-20 school year to 38,780 in 2025-26, according to Texas Education Agency data reported by Houston Public Media. Trustees approved a fiscal year 2026-27 budget of more than $430 million on Aug. 24 that included the $23 million shortfall.

CCISD spokesperson Elena Polsen told Houston Public Media in an Aug. 31 report that the district had shifted "from a fast-growth school district to a maturing school district."

The Texas Education Agency gave CCISD an overall accountability score of 89 for 2026, up from 88 the prior year. All seven high schools, including Clear Lake and Clear Brook, earned A ratings, according to KGTX 7.

The board has not announced when it will hold its first public meeting on the superintendent search. Families can monitor updates at ccisd.net.