The details
Trustees voted 6-1 in favor of appointing Brown, with trustee Robert Sitton casting the dissenting vote. According to the contract, Brown will make $335,000 annually with a term running through June 30, 2028.
Brown’s appointment is coming roughly two months after trustees voted to terminate former Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen’s contract with the district.
Brown thanked the board after the vote.
“I want to thank the board of trustees for placing your trust in me to serve as superintendent,” Brown said. “The position of superintendent is not an ‘I’ position. It’s not about me. The success that’s achieved in this district is a collective effort.”
Some context
In May, trustees voted 4-2 in favor of placing Fagen on paid administrative leave before voting 4-3 in July to propose the termination of her contract.
Brown, who had been serving as acting superintendent since Fagen was placed on paid leave, was initially hired to serve as the district’s associate superintendent of support services in 2014 before being named deputy superintendent in 2017.
What trustees are saying
While each of the trustees who spoke at the meeting said they believed in Brown’s ability to lead the district, Sitton said he voted against the appointment because he felt the board could have conducted a more thorough search process.
“We opened the position for 10 days over Christmas break,” Sitton said. “We had eight applicants. Not a single person, including Dr. Brown, was interviewed.”
Still, Sitton said he would support Brown as he takes over his new role.
“I will support Dr. Brown in every way possible, and I will support my colleagues in every way possible to ensure Humble ISD moves forward,” Sitton said.
Trustee Marques Holmes, who had previously voted against proposing the termination of Fagen’s contract in July, said he was ready for the district to move forward.
“When there’s not leadership at this level, it creates a vacuum, and we can no longer have that,” Holmes said. “I need us to get back to some semblance of normalcy.”
