In sudden move, Katy ISD board president steps down

Ashley Vann announced Monday that she was stepping down as Katy ISD board president. (Michael Wyke / For the Chronicle) Ashley Vann announced Monday that she was stepping down as Katy ISD board president. (Michael Wyke / For the Chronicle) Photo: Michael Wyke, For The Chronicle Photo: Michael Wyke, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close In sudden move, Katy ISD board president steps down 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Katy ISD continued to experience upheaval Monday as Ashley Vann suddenly announced she was stepping down as board president and two new board members were sworn in, just a few weeks after Lance Hindt, the district's controversial superintendent, announced he would retire next January.

When the school board returned from closed session Monday night, Vann acknowledged how proud she was to serve the school district during Hurricane Harvey and of watching the community come together, but then her tone shifted.

"To put it simply, I'm tired y'all," said Vann. "My family's tired. The past two months have shown me a lot about myself and the one thing that I know is that the wind is out of my sails."

Vann, who will serve as the board's secretary next school year, went on to nominate Courtney Doyle to take over her role as president, which the board agreed to unanimously. The board also voted for Bill Lacy to serve as vice president during the next school year.

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"I don't think there has been a president that has been faced with quite the extent of what Ms. Vann has been faced with," said Doyle. "Ms. Vann has led this board with grace, humility and strength. She has always had a smile on her face. I know that her family has sacrificed greatly for her to be available at all times."

Two new board members, Susan Gesoff and Dawn Champagne, also took their official oath of office as outgoing board members Charles Griffin and Bryan Michalsky left their positions.

"It has been a pleasure and honor to serve with you the past four years," said Vann, referring to the outgoing board members. "You've been my sounding board since day one."

New board member Gesoff is a a former teacher for Katy ISD and current engineer at BP. The second new board member, Champagne, is a parent to three children, who are either enrolled at Katy schools or graduated, and is also an active volunteer in the school district.

Griffin, who's served on the board for six years, wished Hindt well as he left office and said he was proud of his accomplishments for the school district.

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March 19, 2018 Greg Barrett, a Katy-area businessman, attends a school board meeting at Katy ISD and decides to speak publicly. March 19, 2018 Greg Barrett, a Katy-area businessman, attends a school board meeting at Katy ISD and decides to speak publicly. Photo: A Better Legacy Photo: A Better Legacy Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close A timeline of the controversy surrounding Katy ISD superintendent Lance Hindt 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

"I'm sorry that we weren't able to keep your family and you protected," said Griffin. "From the day you got here until the day I leave, I've been proud of every single thing that you've done and our kids are much better off for that. "

Katy ISD has been engulfed in controversy since Katy resident Greg Gay in March accused Hindt of bullying him years ago in high school. The accusation rocked the 77,000-student district and put a stain on the star superintendent's reputation. A civil suit also surfaced from 1983, in which a Houston-area man said he was assaulted by then-18-year-old Hindt after an altercation following a party.

Hindt most recently was accused of plagiarizing his doctoral dissertation at the University of Houston.

Board member George Scott acknowledged how tough the last school year has been for Vann.

"There is no board president in my observation that has had to take on challenges as tough as a natural disaster and challenges as needless and gratuitously evil as manmade disasters that we've had to face over the last several months," said Scott. "I'm not aware of a single board president in the time I've been in this community who would've handled the last year with more honor than Ashley."

Michalsky, who's served on the board for six years, upon his exit stressed to incoming board members that there was still work to do like preventing acts of violence like the one that occurred last week at Santa Fe High School. A moment of silence was held for the school shooting victims at the start of the board meeting.

" I will say one of the biggest highlights over the last years of serving on this board was having a front row seat of watching the amazing professional educators that work in this district do their job," said Michalsky. "More than anything else, I'm thankful for the way we love our children and prepare them for a successful future."

The swearing in comes after Katy ISD decided at its last board meeting on May 10 to hire Feldman & Feldman law firm to pursue a defamation case on behalf of Hindt as he's faced months of accusations from the public. During Monday's meeting, the school board also met in closed session with the board's attorney.

After Hindt announced his retirement during a board meeting on May 10, the district revealed that he would receive two years of his base salary pay upon his exit from the district. That could exceed $750,000.

In his original contract when Hindt was hired in 2016, it was noted that "if the Board gives the Superintendent notice of termination of this Agreement under this section, other than for good cause ....the District will pay the Superintendent an amount equal to two years of his base salary rate."

Hindt, 53, currently makes $386,850 as superintendent, according to data compiled by the Texas Education Agency in October 2017.

When Hindt was hired, his annual salary was set at $375,000. The contract amendment was voted on unanimously by board members during the meeting held earlier this month.

Hindt said earlier this month that the accusations have been hard on his wife and children. He called leading the school district his "highest professional honor."