Trustees direct superintendent to draft academic acceleration and financial solvency plans

The Judson Board of Trustees voted 7-0 to direct Superintendent Dr. Fields to prepare an academic acceleration plan and a financial solvency plan for future board approval.

The motion, made in open session after closed discussion, instructs the superintendent to produce Board-adopted plans that will define goals and priorities for academics and district financial solvency. Trustee Ryan moved for the plans; Trustee Poteet seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Trustees used the discussion to press for clarity about process and participation. Trustee Macias said he was concerned the superintendent had been left out of portions of the closed-session discussion and criticized scheduling that required the superintendent to return from planned vacation. "My concern though is that we did leave the superintendent out of the meeting discussing the plan and only bringing him in at the end," Macias said during discussion.

Superintendent Dr. Fields told the board he welcomed the direction and suggested the district use the remaining consultant time as hourly assistance rather than full additional days. "I'd rather have hours. That way we can call her in for hours to assist as opposed to all day," Dr. Fields said.

Several trustees framed the motion as a step toward presenting coherent goals to the public and ensuring board oversight of academic and fiscal objectives. The board did not adopt the plans at the meeting; it directed the superintendent to draft them and return to the board for formal approval.

Trustees said they would support administration in developing the plans and asked that the documents be brought back to the board for formal consideration.