Dunnam's resignation is effective Friday. She assumes her duties in Stephenville June 2.

She has been assistant superintendent at Big Spring the past two years. Before that, she was princfipal at Marcy Elementary for several years.

“I wanted to get closer to my family,” Dunnam said. “My dad lives in Granbury, my son lives in Dallas and my sisters live in McKinney. I'll be 30 minutes away from them, so this was a great opportunity.”

She was selected from among six finalists for the position, she said.

“I interviewed with them May 9, and they called me later that day to offer me the position,” she said.

Dunnam admitted, however, she will leave Big Spring with regret.

“It has been a privilege and honor to work with some very dedicated people who put kids first,” she said. “I've been a member of this community since 1968. I have life-long friends in this community I'm saying goodbye to, so this is bittersweet to me.”

BSISD Superintendent Michael Downes said the district will miss Dunnam.

“She's been a tremendous asset to Big Spring ISD,” Downes said. “Through Carie's leadership, the district achieved 100 percent highly qualified (teacher) status for the first time. I'm excited for Carie and the opportunity she will have to provide similar leadership in Stephenville.”

District officials will post the job opening for 10 days before interviewing candidates. Downes said the district hopes to name a replacement in the near future.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it