Richardson ISD trustees to consider board president’s resignation during Oct. 4 meeting

The Richardson ISD board of trustees have two closed sessions scheduled for its Oct. 4 regular meeting. Trustees are expected to discuss the board vacancy created by former-President Karen Clardy’s resignation last month as well as potential redistricting and more.

Clardy gave no reason for her resignation in the letter she sent to the other trustees and Superintendent Jeannie Stone Sept. 24. She had held the board’s District 5 seat since 2017.

“I have made the difficult decision to step down from Richardson ISD school board, effective immediately,” Clardy wrote in her letter. “I have been a part of RISD for 32 years, and I have had the privilege to work alongside many wonderful parents, teachers and staff. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our students. I would also like to thank the many people who have supported me during my two terms as an RISD trustee.”

With Clardy’s exit from the board, District 4 trustee Regina Harris is the next highest-ranking member. She was chosen as the board’s vice president in August.

The District 5 seat is scheduled to be up for election in May 2022.

The first of the two scheduled closed sessions will begin at 4:30 p.m. to allow it to be before the open meeting’s planned 6 p.m. start. The second closed session is slated for just prior to the end of the meeting. In between those sessions, the board is scheduled to consider requesting a class-size exception from the state for the four classes in pre-K through fourth grades that exceed the 22:1 student-to-teacher ratio set by the Texas Education Code. The board will also receive updates on its strategic plan, potential redistricting, COVID-19 and more.

In a Sept. 30 video shared on the district’s YouTube channel, Stone said the Oct. 4 meeting will be livestreamed through the district website. Video of prior RISD board meetings have been generally uploaded to the district website the following day.

The meeting will be held at the RISD Administration Building at 400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson.