Outgoing Katy ISD superintendent Hindt won’t sit with board at meetings for final months

File photo from May 21, 2018 shows then-Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt at a district board meeting at the Education Support Complex in Katy, Texas. File photo from May 21, 2018 shows then-Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt at a district board meeting at the Education Support Complex in Katy, Texas. Photo: Michael Wyke, Freelance / For The Chronicle Photo: Michael Wyke, Freelance / For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Outgoing Katy ISD superintendent Hindt won’t sit with board at meetings for final months 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Outgoing Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt, who recently announced his plans to resign amid controversy over decades-old bullying allegations, won’t be sitting with the district’s board of trustees for coming meetings.

Deputy Superintendent Ken Gregorski will preside over future board meetings “until further notice,” district officials said Thursday. They said Hindt, who will remain in the district’s top job until the end of the year, will focus on special large-scale projects including modifying Katy ISD’s attendance boundaries and the rollout of a strategic design plan.

Gregorski will jointhe board of trustees at meetings starting on July 16.

“In the past, other Katy ISD superintendents have adopted this practice as a way to lay the groundwork for the smooth transition of a new superintendent,” Katy ISD spokeswoman Maria DiPetta said in a written statement.

The superintendent typically attends Katy ISD work-study and regular board meetings but does not vote on agenda items. The presence of a superintendent at board meetings is not required by the Texas Education Code or Katy ISD board policies.

“It is not uncommon practice for a designee of the board and superintendent to preside over board meetings. The superintendent is the chief executive officer and is responsible for the administrative organization of the district, which includes delegating duties to one of his administrators, if needed,” DiPetta said.

District officials said Hindt will work on improving safety measures for schools in the district along with their bullying awareness and prevention programs.

Hindt, 53, had been an educator for nearly 30 years in 2016 when he was appointed superintendent of the school district where he grew up. Before graduating in 1983 from James E. Taylor High School, he had been a student and football player at West Memorial Junior High.

During the public forum of a March 19 work-study meeting, Katy businessman Greg Gay accused Hindt of bullying him in a boy’s bathroom while they were students at the junior high school. The event was seen on the district’s video recording of the board meeting and set off a controversy that drew national and international attention. Hindt denied any involvement in the confrontation with Gay, but in a letter to Katy ISD staffers, he acknowledged “when I was young, I did dumb things.”

Katy ISD board members agreed in May to pay Hindt $750,000 — an amount equal to two years of his base pay —on his last day of work as superintendent. The board also voted to help pay for a possible defamation lawsuit arising from the public allegations lodged against him.

“The resulting impact on the superintendent has been such that he can no longer consistently and effectively perform his duties,” Katy ISD general counsel Justin Graham said at the time.

Katy ISD officials said they are committed to securing a “high-quality leader” who understands the needs of Katy ISD and the growing community.

“Once the board makes a determination on the process, we will let you know,” DiPetta said.

mike.glenn@chron.com