By Edmond Ortiz
The Judson Independent School District is entering a topsy-turvy summer with another interim superintendent, continuing lawsuits, and a new investigation launched by the Texas Education Agency.
New interim superintendent
The Judson ISD board voted 6-1 June 23 to appoint Ann Dixon, a former JISD educator and administrator, interim superintendent. Dixon’s career in education spans 50-plus years, and she has served as an interim superintendent at more than 20 school districts statewide, most recently at the Fredericksburg Independent School District.
JISD hired Dixon last summer as a financial consultant to review expenditures and revenues, including staffing, budgeting, and state funding.
Dixon will replace interim Superintendent Robert Jaklich, who submitted his resignation, effective June 30, after about five months on the job.
Prior to Jaklich’s arrival, JISD administrators Mary Duhart-Toppen and Lacey Gosch each briefly served as interim superintendent following the school board’s controversial suspension and subsequent firing of Superintendent Milton Fields in early January.
“I am honored to return to Judson ISD and serve this community once again,” Dixon said in a statement following her appointment.
“Judson has a proud history, dedicated employees, and tremendous potential. I look forward to working alongside our students, staff, families, and community members to build on the progress already underway and ensure the district is positioned for long-term success.”
Board President Monica Ryan sought to assuage concerns from some trustees and residents about the divided board yet again choosing not to appoint a current JISD administrator interim superintendent.
Ryan said she respects the work and reputation of the district’s top executives. But given the financial and other challenges facing Judson ISD, the district would benefit with leadership from “a seasoned, external interim superintendent, Ryan added.
“This recommendation reflects the unique and complex circumstances facing our district,” she said.
Trustee Jose Macias, who cast the lone “no” vote against Dixon’s appointment, said Judson ISD needs to launch a search for a permanent superintendent sooner than later, adding that the district’s next permanent, long-term leader will have to address an array of pitfalls.
Those obstacles include a budget deficit, struggles with student enrollment, an uncertain economic future, and political infighting among board members.
“Finding someone to be the leader for the next two, three, four, five years shouldn’t be as challenging,” Macias said.
A school board in turmoil
Dixon will answer to a JISD school board where trustees have frequently clashed with each other in recent months, namely over the handling of internal investigation of allegations made against then-Superintendent Fields – an examination that contributed to his dismissal.
Now, TEA is investigating six claims made against the board, including whether trustees plotted to fire Fields, overreached limits of their authority, failed to adequately review Fields in his superintendent role, and talked about public business in private.
TEA is also investigating recent allegations that Ryan used her power as board president to influence JISD employees and get her daughter placed in specific classes.
Leading up to Fields’ formal termination as superintendent, the aforementioned investigation resulted in Ryan announcing “good cause” reasons for his firing, including a claim that Fields failed to report incidents of child abuse, involving students, about which he allegedly knew.
Fields also allegedly brought alcohol to district grounds, and failed to properly report incidents of employee misconduct. For his part, Fields accused some trustees of choosing to “fabricate reasons for my termination.”
Ryan responded to the TEA investigation in a statement to KSAT-TV, disagreeing with the state agency’s decision to conduct a new examination of claims that she said have been internally investigated and addressed by the district.
Still, Ryan pledged, the district will comply with TEA’s queries. However, she accused three trustees with whom she has verbally scuffled – Macias, Laura Stanford and Suzanne Kenoyer – of seeking TEA to an outside investigation, an action that Ryan said could induce a state takeover of JISD.
Macias has already been targeted for two other separate, internal investigations. One focused on two employees’ complaints filed against Macias. The other query looked into whether Macias violated parts of the Texas Penal Code, including sections covering coercion of a public servant, abuse of official capacity, and misuse of official information.
Those investigations yielded one board resolution to censure Macias, including restricting his access to district campuses and events. The censure pushed Macias to sue JISD in state district court, which subsequently issued a temporary restraining order against the limits that the district imposed on Macias.
A proposal at resolving the legal standoff between Macias and JISD included him withdrawing his lawsuit in exchange for the board rescinding the restrictions. But JISD opted to move the case to federal court.
On June 18, the board voted 4-2 to pass a new resolution to expand the censure on Macias, prohibiting him from contacting JISD employees. Arguments among Macias, Ryan, Stanford and board Vice President Michelle Poteet ensued at the dais prior to the vote.
Stanford argued the new limits imposed on Macias represented “overreach.”
“The penalties are onerous and exaggerated,” she added.
Poteet countered that Macias brought the punishment upon himself by using social media to make public statements about board actions and trustees’ remarks regarding more sensitive and contentious issues.
“Part of free speech is accepting the consequences of your actions,” she added.
Macias and Stanford opposed the new censure motion, and Kenoyer was absent from the meeting.
Additionally, trustees voted June 18 to have Judson ISD proceed with the next action regarding a months-long civil lawsuit that Lisa Butler, the parent of a former JISD student, filed last January against Ryan and the whole board. Butler accused Ryan and the board of violating state open meetings laws in the events leading up to Fields’ ouster as superintendent.
Before the June 18 meeting, Macias took to social media to criticize Ryan and some fellow trustees.
“There is mounting evidence of board misconduct and our board president acting outside her board authority, utilizing her board seat to serve her self-interests,” he added.
Dixon will oversee her first JISD board meeting as interim superintendent June 25 as trustees review the proposed 2026-2027 district budget.
