For the third consecutive week, Fort Davis ISD has released no new information about the status of longtime Superintendent Graydon Hicks, who was placed on paid administrative leave in early March. A special meeting of the FDISD Board of Trustees is scheduled for Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the administration building, but key agenda items remain vague.
As reported by the Jeff Davis County Mountain Dispatch, the board has not publicly disclosed why Hicks was removed or whether they intend to take further action. The only public decision made at the time was to appoint current junior/senior high school principal Selena Martin as acting superintendent.
Friday’s meeting agenda includes a cryptic item: “Consider and take possible action regarding Interim Superintendent and Superintendent’s roles, responsibilities, compensation, evaluation instrument, evaluation, and contract.” Attempts by the Mountain Dispatch to reach Board President James Weaver for clarification were unsuccessful.
Also on the agenda is an item regarding a potential contract with “J&P Advisory Group,” though no background has been provided about the company. Online searches suggest it may be linked to Jim McClellan, a former superintendent who runs Educational Executive Consulting and J&P Advisory Group. The nature of any agreement with the district remains unclear.
Two additional items will be taken up in executive session, including consultation with attorneys and discussion of the superintendent’s contract and evaluation.
In an editorial published this week, Mountain Dispatch editor Tate Dillard noted the continued silence has led to heightened speculation in the close-knit Fort Davis community. “Though the district is not out of the weeds yet with the funding issues, Hicks and the Board have worked tirelessly to turn the tide for the District,” Dillard wrote. “Either way, the parents of students, the employees of the District and the taxpayers all deserve to know what is going on with Hicks and the future of FDISD.”
The special meeting will take place at the FDISD Administration Building, located at 401 W. Webster Ave. in Fort Davis.
