Lancaster ISD takes no action against Superintendent Larry Lewis — yet

by Bill Conrad of Lancaster TODAY

The Lancaster School Board took no action regarding Superintendent Larry Lewis at its meeting Nov. 3. Lewis was placed on administrative leave Oct. 14.

Lawyers from Anderson Jones gave the board the results of their investigation of Lewis in executive session that lasted nearly three hours, but a copy of the firm's report was not immediately available.

Anderson Jones was hired Aug. 26 to investigate Lewis.

According to the contract, Anderson Jones will “investigate the performance of Superintendent Dr. Larry Lewis regarding (a) potential insubordination to Carolyn Morris as set forth in the June 16, 2008 memorandum from (Carolyn) Morris to the Board of Trustees containing a formal complaint, (b) alleged tampering with U.S. Mail, and (c) alleged failure to timely distribute the Texas Education Agency Audit to the Board.”

Item No. 21 on the Nov. 3 agenda pertained to Lewis and read “Consider recommendation from Anderson Jones law firm.” However, when the board got out of executive session it skipped the item. At the end of the meeting the board adjourned without ever taking action on the item, or stating what the firm's recommendation was.

After the meeting, Board President Carolyn Morris said the board's attorneys instructed them not to act on the matter. When asked when the board may act, she said possibly in a week to 10 days or at their next meeting.

In other board news, the board heard a report on Cambridge Strategic Planning from Anita McPartland, the LISD coordinator for strategic planning.

Cambridge was hired by the district in July to help facilitate a strategic plan. Cambridge will help the district define its goals and direction and then make sure the district's resources go towards the defined goal.

A committee will be formed to help formulate the plan. The committee will consist of 25-30 members, with representatives from the school board, the city of Lancaster and the public.

“When we talk about a strategic plan, what we are asking people to do is dream,” Howard Feddema of Cambridge said in July before the board approved the contract. “There are some very distinctive things about our framework of planning. One of them is that everyone who participates in the planning needs to be willing to subordinate their personal interests for that of the long-term interests of the students. Without this, the planning won't work. Unless every one of the board members understands this and is willing to commit to the long-term health of the whole system, it is not worth doing.”

McPartland said the district received more than 850 surveys from the community in regards to planning and that nearly 40 names were being considered for part of the planning team, a list that will be whittled to 30 names this week.

She also said that after initial planning sessions, which run Nov. 13-15, there will be action teams assigned to each strategy. People who filed applications and were not chosen to be a part of the planning team will have a chance to serve on the action teams.

The board also heard a report from Ed Lopez from the law firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson, the firm hired by the district to collect delinquent property taxes.

Lopez said his firm had been with the district for 15 years and had collected more than $16.6 million in delinquent taxes in that time. Lopez told the board that the firm collected $1.8 million last year, and would try and meet that number this year.

State law dictates that taxes collected by the firm contain a 20 percent charge, which pays for the firm. As a result, the district has never had to pay money to the firm for its tax collection services.

The next scheduled meeting of the Lancaster School Board is Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Meetings are held at the LISD Administration Building located at 422. S. Centre Ave.