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Ann Richards community urges board to reinstate principal after district recommends termination
Summary
Hundreds of community members — students, parents, teachers and alumni — urged the Austin ISD Board April 24 to reject a superintendent recommendation to terminate the principal at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, calling for reinstatement, more transparency and restorative approaches.
Dozens of in-person speakers and hundreds of recorded messages pressed the Austin ISD Board April 24 to reject the superintendent’s recommendation to terminate the principal at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, saying the school had suffered leadership disruption and that the principal is widely respected by students, staff and parents.
What speakers said: Over the public testimony period speakers who identified themselves as parents, students, alumni, teachers and school staff described the principal as a committed leader who “restored” school culture after difficult years. Callers urged trustees to reinstate the principal and to use restorative processes rather than termination. Several speakers said an investigation the district relied on was incomplete and that the district should share more documentation or seek third‑party review.
Representative remarks and themes: - “She has been an exemplary employee,” several callers said, asking trustees to “do the right thing” and reverse the superintendent’s recommendation. - Students and parents asked the board to consider the principal’s record of leadership and student support, noting effects on morale if the leader were removed. - Several speakers emphasized that the principal had followed directives from central office and that the district, not an individual principal, should bear responsibility for systemic failures involving a complex student case. - Education‑employee groups and many teachers at Ann Richards urged trustees to prioritize support, transparency and restorative practice rather than immediate termination.
Board process: The item — listed as a recommended termination of professional employment (agenda item 14.1) — was scheduled for consideration at the meeting. The board moved into executive session at the close of the public-comment period to discuss personnel and legal matters; trustees said they would return to open session afterward to take any final action on the agenda item.
Ending: Trustees did not record a final vote on item 14.1 in the public portion of the meeting; the board recessed to executive session and said it would return to open session before any action. Multiple callers asked the board to delay or reverse any termination and asked for a more transparent process or neutral review of the district’s investigative record.
