Board votes unanimously to terminate Pew Elementary principal after closed session

After convening in closed session, the Houston ISD Board of Managers reconvened and on Aug. 14 voted 9–0 to terminate the performance contract of Keith Garcia, the former principal of Pew Elementary School. The motion — offered in open session by a board member and seconded — directed the superintendent to give notice "on the terms discussed in closed session." No additional details about the grounds for termination or the terms of the separation were released during the open meeting.

Because the board took the action in closed session and supplied only the motion’s summary in open session, the public record contains the motion text recorded at reconvening and the roll-call vote. The motion as read into the record was: “I move that the board terminates the performance contract of Keith Garcia, former Pew Elementary School principal, and authorizes the superintendent to give notice of same on the terms discussed in closed session.”

Why it matters: Termination of a campus principal is a personnel action with direct consequences for campus leadership and staffing. The board acted by a unanimous vote and authorized the superintendent to implement the separation in accordance with the terms discussed in closed session. The board did not provide further information in open session; additional records or a public statement from the district would be required to provide context about the decision.

Sources: Board motion and vote recorded at the Aug. 14 reconvened meeting.