Humble ISD trustees voted 4-3 to propose the termination of Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen's contract at their July 23 meeting, setting the stage for potential appeal of the board’s decision with the Texas Education Agency.
What's happening?
The decision to propose Fagen's termination is coming more than two months after trustees voted to place her on paid administrative leave. She will now have an opportunity to appeal the board’s decision to the Texas Education Agency, which district officials said could take months to conclude. Fagen was not present for the July 23 meeting.
Board President Robert Scarfo and trustees Michael Grabowski, Chris Parker and Ken Kirchhofer voted in favor of the proposal; trustees Martina Lemond Dixon, Robert Sitton and Marques Holmes cast dissenting votes.
Prior to the vote, Lemond Dixon said the reason presented for Fagen’s proposed removal was “a failure to maintain a relationship with the board.”
However, few details were provided in open session explaining how Fagen had failed to maintain a relationship with the board, and an explanation of what maintaining that relationship entails was not made clear during the meeting.
While several board members said they had been presented with evidence supporting their vote to propose Fagen's removal, they said those details would not be made public until the conclusion of the potential appeal process.
Some context
The proposed termination of Fagen’s contract is coming on the heels of several tumultuous months.
On April 9, trustees voted to release a report detailing the findings of a Title IX investigation launched against Fagen’s husband, former HISD Athletic Director Troy Kite.
Fagen married Kite in 2023 after disclosing their relationship to the board in March 2022, district officials said. Fagen said she recused herself from the Title IX investigation in May 2023.
In May, trustees voted 4-2 in favor of placing Fagen on paid administrative leave.
What’s next
Ellen H. Spalding, who provides legal counsel for the district, said Fagen will now be provided with notice of the vote to propose the termination her employment. Fagen will have 15 days to appeal the decision with the TEA.
If Fagen declines to appeal the decision, Spalding said the item will come back to board members to make a final decision on Fagen’s termination. If Fagen appeals the decision, the TEA will appoint an independent hearing examiner who will hold a hearing within 60-105 days.
Spalding said the hearing would allow both sides to present evidence supporting their case. Following the hearing, the examiner would provide a written recommendation of proposed findings of facts and conclusions of law, and can choose to provide a recommendation.
Spalding said that information would then be given to board members, who would then take a final vote on Fagen’s termination.
