Kristen Tinsley
Superintendent/Principal

ktinsley@saritaschool.com

           Hello Sarita Tigers! Welcome to our school website. My name is Kristen Brown Tinsley, and it is truly an honor to serve as Superintendent of Kenedy County-Wide CSD and Principal of Sarita Elementary School, a jewel of South Texas. I am a native of Riviera, Texas and graduated from Riviera-Kaufer High School in 1993. The majority of my family still resides in the Riviera area.

            I began my college career at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and a year later, transferred to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. I studied Animal Science for two years at SWT, and then transferred back to TAMU-K while also changing my career path to Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in Special Education. In the fall of 1998, I received my Bachelor of Science degree with Magna Cum Laude honors. Shortly thereafter, I married my husband, Willis J. Tinsley.

            I began my teaching career at Kingsville I.S.D. as a Special Education Resource teacher but soon after moved to Gonzales, Texas where I taught Pre-Kindergarten. After a couple of years, my husband and I relocated back to South Texas where I continued teaching and pursued my master’s degree at TAMU-K. In December 2002, I received my Master of Science degree in School Counseling and Guidance. During the fall of 2003, I accepted a position as a Special Education teacher at Sarita Elementary School with Kenedy County-Wide Common School District in Sarita, Texas.

            In July 2004, my husband and I welcomed into the family our first baby boy, Willis Brandt Tinsley. At this time, I continued teaching, and in addition, decided to pursue certification as a School Principal through the Partners for Educational Leadership (PEL) program at the Education Service Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. I received my Principal certification in December 2008, and in February 2008, we were blessed with another sweet boy, Baylen Brown Tinsley. I later decided to pursue my superintendent certification from Lamar University and obtained certification in October 2019.

            I am currently employed as the Superintendent of Kenedy County-Wide CSD and Principal of Sarita Elementary School. My husband is the Area Manager for Support Services at the King Ranch, Inc. in Kingsville, Texas. Our oldest son, Brandt, attends Texas A&M University-Kingsville studying Agribusiness while our youngest, Baylen, is a student at Kaufer Early College High School. 

Professional Experience:

Superintendent, Kenedy County-Wide CSD, 2020-Present

Principal, Sarita Elementary, Kenedy County-Wide CSD, 2011-Present

Assistant Principal, Sarita Elementary, Kenedy County-Wide CSD, 2010-2011

Special Programs Coordinator, Sarita Elementary, Kenedy County-Wide CSD, 2006-2010

Special Education Teacher, Sarita Elementary, Kenedy County-Wide CSD, 2003-2006

Social Studies Teacher, Driscoll Elementary, Driscoll ISD, 2002-2003

Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, Palito Blanco Elementary, Ben Bolt – Palito Blanco ISD, 2001-2002

Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, East Avenue Primary, Gonzales ISD, 1999-2001

Special Education Teacher, McRoberts Elementary, Kingsville ISD, Fall 1999

Education:

Superintendent Certification, Lamar University, October 2019, Certification

Educational Diagnostician, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, December 2017, Certification

Principal Certification, Partners for Educational Leadership, (Education Service Center-2), December 2007

School Counselor Certification, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, December 2002, Master of Science

Interdisciplinary Studies with Special Education Endorsement, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, December 1998, Bachelor of Science

Certifications:

Superintendent, EC-12

Educational Diagnostician, EC-12

Principal, EC-12

School Counselor, PK-12

Early Childhood Education, PK-K

English as a Second Language, PK-12

Generic Special Education, PK-12

General Education, Grades 1-8

Philosophy of Education:

I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. As an educator, I believe we must facilitate and enhance the desire for learning by meeting the individual needs of our students. As an administrator, it is my responsibility to ensure an optimal learning climate for students through efficient operations and supervision of instructional programs.