From July 2024: Humble ISD trustees vote to terminate Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen's contract
The details
Board members voted 6-1 in favor of terminating Fagen's contract, with trustee Robert Sitton casting the dissenting vote.
The Nov. 26 meeting came about four months after HISD trustees voted to propose the termination of Fagen's contract. Fagen appealed the board's decision to the Texas Education Agency, which resulted in a three-day hearing spanning more than 30 hours over Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 6.
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In a Nov. 25 recommendation issued by Karen Egbuna, the independent hearing examiner appointed by the TEA to oversee Fagen's appeal, Egbuna sided with the district and recommended trustees move forward with terminating Fagen's contract.
Following the meeting, Fagen said she would be appealing the board's decision to Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, noting she believes Egbuna's recommendation was fundamentally flawed.
"There is a lot of stuff in (the recommendation) that was never proven," Fagen said. "I thought this was going to be an opportunity for justice or a day in court, ... and it wasn't. That's not how it turned out, so now we're moving on to the next level of appeal."
After the vote to terminate Fagen's contract, board members approved the appointment of Deputy Superintendent Roger Brown to serve as interim superintendent while the district conducts a search for Fagen's replacement. Brown has been serving as acting superintendent since Fagen was placed on paid administrative leave in May.
Board members said the district will post the position of superintendent of schools to inquiring job applicants on or before Dec. 2.
How we got here
Throughout Fagen's appeal hearing, lawyers representing the district argued Fagen's relationship with her husband and former HISD Athletic Director Troy Kite negatively affected the district's ability to fairly respond to a Title IX complaint filed against Kite in 2023.
In April, trustees voted to release a report detailing the findings of the Title IX investigation launched against Kite.
Fagen married Kite in 2023 after disclosing their relationship to the board in March 2022, district officials said. Fagen said she recused herself from the Title IX investigation in May 2023.
Earlier this year, trustees voted 4-2 in favor of placing Fagen on paid administrative leave in May before voting 4-3 to propose the termination of her contract with the district in July. Board members cited "a failure to maintain a relationship with the board" as the reason for Fagen's proposed termination.
What they're saying
At the Nov. 26 meeting, board President Chris Parker said she lost trust in Fagen, noting she didn't believe the relationship could be repaired.
"There is no improvement plan for ethics and a lack of candor," Parker said. "There's no improvement plan for that."
Sitton, who voted against proposing the termination of Fagen's contract in July, said he would respect the decision of the board.
"I've challenged this process since the beginning," Sitton said. "My feelings haven't changed on that. However, upon conclusion of the matter by majority vote tonight, I will accept the results."
What's next
Kevin O'Hanlon, an attorney with law firm O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo who's representing Fagen, said she will now have 20 days to appeal the matter to Morath.
This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.