Little Elm ISD’s board of trustees unanimously voted to remove Daniel Gallagher as superintendent and place him on administrative leave with pay, according to LEISD board President Jason Olson.

“This change is necessary for the immediate leadership needs of our students, teachers, staff and administration,” according to a Feb. 19 district statement.

The board has not announced specific reasons for Gallagher’s immediate removal.

Shay Adams, LEISD’s assistant superintendent for business and finance services, will act as acting superintendent until the search for LEISD’s permanent superintendent is complete, according to the board’s statement posted on Facebook on Feb. 19.

The board’s next steps are to find a firm to aid in the next superintendent search, Olson said.

Before being placed on administrative leave, Gallagher announced in November his plans to retire by the end of 2023, according to a district statement.

“We celebrate the successes the district has experienced under Mr. Gallagher,” Olson said in the November statement.

Olson also signed the announcement Feb. 19 to remove Gallagher.

Gallagher became superintendent in 2017 following his time as the assistant superintendent for educational services.

Gallagher’s page on LEISD’s website is unavailable as of Feb. 20. Gallagher did not immediately respond to Community Impact’s request for comment.