The Humble Independent School District board has voted, in a close 4-3 decision, to fire Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen. Fagen, who was accused of not maintaining a proper relationship with the board, had been on administrative leave since May before her termination, according to reports from The Houston Chronicle.
Despite the apparent urgency to decisively cut ties, neither the specifics of Fagen's alleged transgressions nor the "overwhelming evidence" that trustee Michael Grabowski claims to have seen have been disclosed. Grabowski has vowed to eventually present this evidence publicly through a slideshow. This lack of clarity led to the resistance of trustees such as Martina Lemond-Dixon and Marques Holmes, who argued against the firing, pointing to insufficient information to justify the board's decision to terminate Fagen's employment.
Fagen's relationship with the board turned rocky following her recent marriage to former athletic director Troy Kite, who filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by trustee Robert Scarfo and illegal coordination of his departure amongst other board members, as detailed in a report by The Houston Landing. The same board members that Kite is suing took part in the vote to fire Fagen, stirring concerns about potential conflicts of interest expressed by some community members.
Trustee Ken Kirchhofer expressed his disappointment in Fagen's leadership by stating, "Our job is to govern one person and that one person just needed to make a decision when she was aware of behavior that was going on. Just make a decision. Send a message to the rest of the district. I'm not going to tolerate it, no matter who it is," Kirchhofer told The Houston Chronicle. This sentiment was echoed in the boardroom, where debates about Fagen's future ensued for nearly two hours.
The firing comes just months after an employee lodged a Title IX complaint against Kite, who, amidst the fallout, retired after an external investigation suggested he fostered a hostile workplace and engaged in sexual harassment. The legal fees associated with these issues have cost the district more than $1.8 million, a sum highlighted by trustee Lemond-Dixon during the meeting. Furthermore, the controversy has overshadowed Fagen's previous achievements in the district, such as her response to the complications of Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the district braces for potential costs tied to Fagen's departure, estimated to be around $1.5 million by Lemond-Dixon, the board has not yet determined when they will start the search for a new superintendent. Deputy Superintendent Roger Brown has been filling in as acting superintendent since Fagen was placed on paid leave.
Amidst these leadership changes, the Texas Education Agency has begun investigating multiple complaints against Humble ISD officials. These allegations entail misuse of public funds and conflicts of interest. "We're being investigated right now by the TEA," Lemond-Dixon announced, "And honestly, I welcome the intervention because I do not think this is the way we should handle business."
