Judson ISD board stays mum on chief ’s job status
Officials could not confirm Wednesday that Judson Independent School District Superintendent Jeanette Ball had accepted a resignation agreement approved by the district’s board days earlier, or if its terms were still being negotiated.
Ball’s imminent departure, though, set off long arguments on the Judson ISD community’s social media, with expressions of praise outnumbering accusations against her.
Trustees have not publicly explained why Ball’s annual evaluation went unresolved during two meetings last week and ended with a resignation deal. One board member, Rafa Diaz, has said it involved sensitive personnel matters.
On Wednesday, another trustee, Jose Macias, said Ball “deserves her privacy” and that he has “a great deal of respect for her.”
The board unanimously accepted Ball’s resignation Monday with a $140,000 payment.
She was making $250,000 a year and had more than two years remaining on her contract.
The district has not issued a statement since immediately after that meeting, when it noted that the agreement had not been finalized. Ball has not responded to requests for comment.
Macias said the board is bound by law not to share what is discussed in closed sessions. He denied accusations posted in a Facebook group devoted to Judson parents and employees, with 4,300 members, that he had been working against Ball and trying to “get her out.”
“If the community looks at a 7-0 board vote as a vote of consensus and confidence, they can take comfort that this is not a political game,” Macias said. “There was no conspiracy here.”
Most commenters on the threads in the Facebook group expressed confusion about what happened. Some called the superintendent beloved or at least competent, and wondered how the district would handle the $345 million bond that Ball had helped put over the finish line in the Nov. 8 elections.
“Since we’re here in Judson 2014, I’ve never experienced this kind of involvement of a Superintendent,” wrote Lesley Fasiman Lee in one comment. “She’s one of the reason why I became active in attending of all the meetings because she’s so approachable and easy to talk to. She listens and I see actions done when there’s problems.”
Others, including teachers and other current or former district employees, contributed low opinions of Ball’s leadership, some using words like “backhanded” and “hateful.”
The district has not responded this week when asked if employees have filed grievances against Ball.
A kindergarten teacher, Lydia Panvini, left a comment describing a tirade by Ball against her principal that she said could be heard behind a closed office door.
“I never filed a grievance against her actions because there was never direct retaliation,” Panvini said in a later interview. “She told me to quit, which was bad character, but not against the rules.
“We knew as teachers we would be protected, but ultimately it would go back to our principal, who did not have the same protections as us,” Panvini said. “We didn’t want to bring it back on our principal.”
Several in the Facebook group credited Ball with the success of the bond election, which came one year after voters in Judson ISD rejected a bond proposal. It will pay for security upgrades and new school construction.
“I might not agree with her personally all the time but I did feel she was getting results for the district. My problem is a lot of us passed this HUGE bond because of her and now we have no clue who is going to be over seeing it. So we just wasted our money and time,” one commenter wrote.
Another echoed her comment: “All I know is that if they don’t make good on these bonds, I will never vote for another one nor will I encourage my family to vote. I’m left feeling duped by this.”
Macias said the board was dedicated to seeing the bond through.
“This bond passed because of a passionate community, and that community is still here,” he said. “We will be moving Judson ISD forward.”
“As someone so vested in the process, I’m not about to let it fall apart,” Macias said.
The board plans to appoint an interim superintendent on Dec. 1, he said.