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DeSoto ISD superintendent abruptly resigns during emergency meeting
There’s been a big shakeup in the DeSoto Independent School District after the superintendent abruptly resigned.
DESOTO, Texas - There’s been a big shakeup in the DeSoto Independent School District after the superintendent abruptly resigned.
The school board accepted the resignation of Dr. D’Andre Weaver during an emergency meeting Sunday. The reason for his resignation is not clear.
Weaver came in and began investigating unethical practices in place before he got there. His efforts met resistance from some board members who had the ultimate say over him.
The TEA is now recommending the troubled district be taken out of the hands of the divided school board, who accepted Weaver’s resignation after 90 minutes in executive session.
An emergency Sunday meeting was held by the embattled DeSoto ISD board about the Aug. 27 fire. But first came the voluntary resignation of the superintendent.
Weaver walked in to a district on financial fire in September 2018.
“When I started here, it was a challenge,” Dr. Weaver. “But we worked through so many challenges, and I am confident today we are in a better place than when we first started.”
State Senator Royce West (D-Dallas) is concerned about Weaver’s leaving.
“When you look at the metrics of the district that he was the one from the administration level in terms of turning the district around,” West said.
Weaver inherited the problems of the previous administration of mismanagement, poor governance and maybe malfeasance all cited in a Texas Education Agency report earlier this month.
The TEA report also indicated that there were some fictitious companies that received millions of dollars from the district.
West says someone should be held criminally responsible.
“We're talking about taxpayers’ dollars.”
The TEA has recommended DeSoto ISD be placed under the control of a state-appointed conservator because of the previous mismanagement before Dr. Weaver arrived.
For DeSoto Mayor Curtistene McCowan who served as school board president in the 90s, that’s a foregone conclusion.
“We welcome the TEA, the conservator, whoever that person is,” McCowan said. “And I as mayor and my council and the entire city of DeSoto are ready to do whatever we can to move DeSoto ISD forward.”
The Dallas County DA's office sources say it is looking into whether anyone in a previous administration before superintendent Weaver broke any laws around public school monies.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath didn’t respond to requests for an interview. The district declined an interview.
The DeSoto school board has named veteran educator and administrator Dr. Don Hopper as acting superintendent. He’s been an adviser to the district since February.