After returning from just under three hours of executive session, the board voted 5-2 to have a report of the investigation finalized for a March 8 meeting.
Although the board had previously requested on Jan. 27 that the investigator it had hired at the recommendation of its Texas Education Agency monitor David Faltys conclude their inquiry and produce a report of findings for the board before its next regular meeting, this was unable to be done, necessitating the extension. Places 2 and 7 Trustees Mary Bone and Danielle Weston were the "no" votes on this motion.
The recommendation from Faltys was approved Jan. 6, when the board voted to put Azaiez on administrative leave.
Under inquiry are allegations made via a protective order filed in a Travis County District Court in July 2021. At that time, the board also approved motions to engage an independent investigator, appoint an acting superintendent and begin the search for an interim superintendent, pending the results of the investigation. The board appointed Daniel Presley, chief of schools and innovation, as acting superintendent. The district also confirmed Jan. 13 that the board's approval of the TEA monitor's recommendation authorized board president Amber Feller to review resumes provided by the board's attorney, and to select an investigator from that pool of candidates. The investigator began their inquiry the following week, the district confirmed. The TEA and Travis County Sheriff's Office have also confirmed to Community Impact Newspaper that the agencies are investigating Azaiez.
Public comments given ahead of the vote by residents and non-residents of the district both supported Azaiez and the termination of his contract, similar to previous meetings regarding the matter.
Coming out of executive session, another motion to add an item allowing the board to terminate the superintendent's contract on the March 8 agenda failed 5-2, with Trustees Bone and Weston voting in the affirmative.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
