The Texas Education Agency is assigning a conservator to oversee the Lancaster Independent School District over actions taken by the college board that the district admits violated Texas Education Code and the Texas Constitution.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath knowledgeable the district of the appointment of Dr. Carol Francois because the conservator in a letter dated Feb. 2 that was obtained by NBC 5 on Friday.
The TEA stated the appointment of a conservator to oversee the district “is necessary to prevent substantial or imminent harm to the welfare of the district’s students or to the public interest.”
In a statement posted online to district staff, households and the neighborhood, the Lancaster ISD addressed the appointment of a conservator and stated they’d acquired the company’s last report and proposals coming from the company’s particular investigation.
Lancaster ISD stated the investigation centered round two allegations of actions taken by the board of trustees starting on Oct. 29, 2020. The first, the district stated, “is that the Lancaster ISD Board of Trustees approved a new contract for the superintendent of schools, Dr. Elijah Granger, and 11 days later approved a separation agreement with the superintendent.”
The district stated the second allegation was discovered to be unsubstantiated.
Former Superintendent Granger signed a brand new contract in 2020, and days later the board provided him a virtually $2million greenback buyout. It prompted intervention from a decide who blocked the payout.
Former board President Ellen Clark who voted for the buyout is not on the board, and runs a actuality workplace the place she now works with Granger.
“I have never done anything wrong, I want to go away and live my life, I am 82 years old,” stated Granger.
As conservator, Francois will oversee the district and board actions; facilitate a wants evaluation of district and campus techniques to assist the event of a corrective motion plan; request or conduct onsite inspections through the interval of the position; monitor and assist the implementation of a corrective motion plan; and take part in and report to the TEA on the progress towards finishing the corrective motion plan and all governance actions of the district.
“This appointment will ensure district compliance and assist the current Lancaster ISD Board of Trustees in working as a team and in the best interest of Lancaster ISD students,” the district stated of their letter. “In addition, since the main subject of the investigation centers around board actions, the conservator will report back to TEA on the board’s development of a corrective action plan to address the non-compliance issues discovered during the investigation.”
The TEA stated the appointment of a conservator doesn’t relieve the district and the board of their duty to function the district in compliance with all relevant statutes and guidelines. The district may also be required to pay $85 per hour for the conservator’s companies plus any journey bills up to the state per diem fee.
The district was given till Feb. 17 to attraction the TEA’s choice and appointment however didn’t file an attraction.
“For the past two years, we’ve worked diligently toward positive and sustainable change. We thank the Texas Education Agency for doing their due diligence in conducting a thorough investigation, and we take the appointment of a conservator seriously,” Lancaster ISD Board President Marion Hamilton expressed. “As a collective board, we are committed to working with the conservator and developing a comprehensive corrective action plan to prevent our district from returning to a non-compliance status. As elected officials, we must do what is best for our students and staff of Lancaster ISD. They will continue to be our driving force as we work toward a compliant status, rebuilding trust and focusing on the future of our district.”
A spokeswoman for the district insisted the conservatorship had every thing to do with the 2020 incident and nothing with the present board.
A public assembly scheduled for Feb. 21 to notify the general public of the investigation and subsequent steps was canceled by the district due to an web outage and connectivity points. The district stated they’ll advise when and if the assembly is rescheduled.
TEA has reported that such a gathering shouldn’t be required, however the district plans to maintain one to tackle the investigation.
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Anyone with questions or issues is invited by the district to electronic mail [email protected]. To evaluation the TEA Special Investigation Final Investigative Report, click here.
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