FORT DAVIS — The Fort Davis ISD School Board is continuing to decline to give a reason why longtime Superintendent Graydon Hicks was indefinitely placed on paid administrative leave on March 9.
Board President James Weaver did not respond to requests for comment by press time. “As a district we do not discuss personnel issues with the media or general public as general rule,” Weaver wrote to The Big Bend Sentinel last week.
Hicks — who has been superintendent of the district since 2014 — told The Sentinel that the board did not tell him why he was suddenly placed on paid leave, but he would like to see trustees set the record straight.
“I’ve done nothing illegal, I’ve done nothing unethical, and I’ve done nothing immoral,” Hicks said. “It would be nice if somebody would come out and say that from the board. But it’s easier to go through the statement that, ‘Well, we don’t make any comment on [personnel matters].’”
At the March 9 meeting the board appointed Junior High and High School Principal Selena Martin as the acting superintendent “during any time that the superintendent is on leave, or until further modification by the Board.” It is unclear why Deputy Superintendent Michelle Hartmann was not named the acting superintendent. Hartmann does not live in Fort Davis and resides in Floresville outside of San Antonio.
Hicks declined to comment further on the reason for his ousting but indicated Hartmann and the district’s early childhood education partnership program may be involved by detailing a series of recent events.
Hartmann was hired by the district over a year ago in January 2024 to help manage and grow a new program at Fort Davis ISD, which involves dual enrolling children from private early childhood centers across the state, garnering additional state revenue from that increased enrollment, then sharing the dollars with the partner schools in a variety of ways. In its first year the program increased the cash-strapped district’s state allotment from $75,000 to $1.5 million — about half of which then went to the private schools. Hartmann and Hicks then started acting as paid consultants for other districts (including Marfa ISD) looking to implement the program, with fees going to the district.
Through the program — which involves the exchange of paperwork rather than actual students — the district’s enrollment soared from 170 students at the start of the 2023-24 school year to its current enrollment of 815 students. Hicks previously told The Sentinel the district was negotiating additional partnerships with large, religiously-affiliated academies Midland Christian and Lake Country Christian.
While it is atypical for a district of Fort Davis’ size to employ a deputy superintendent, Hicks said this week that Hartmann asked for the title when she was first hired, and he and the board agreed. Hartmann said that she “developed the Early Childhood Public-Private Partnership model that is now being utilized in the same or similar fashion by Fort Davis ISD and approximately 20 other districts across the state” while serving as superintendent of Pawnee ISD in South Texas.
Hartmann came under fire, and ultimately left Pawnee ISD, in June of 2022 when she was accused by several parents and residents of retaliation. Local TV station KRIS 6 Investigates reported at the time that “nearly a dozen parents, residents, and former teachers of the district” told them that Hartmann had “threatened to have them either fired from jobs, keep them from being hired, or demote them.” One individual alleged Hartmann had filed a false police report against them.
Hartmann told The Sentinel that she left Pawnee on good terms after nine years with the district and that the KRIS 6 Investigates story had nothing to do with her departure. She said the story was “poorly investigated” and an “inaccurate portrayal” of her leadership.
Hicks said he was not aware of the past issues surrounding Hartmann’s leadership at Pawnee ISD when the district first hired her, but he is aware of the situation now. Hartmann said the FDISD board was aware of the story and “did their due diligence to investigate the accuracy or in this case the inaccuracy” of the piece.
Hicks’ time at the helm of Fort Davis ISD has not been without conflict. The district was involved in a years-long lawsuit with the county and water supply corporation that sowed division among public officials. In 2022, he ran as a Republican challenger against current County Judge Curtis Evans — a bid he ultimately lost. Hicks has also drawn public criticism for acting as a part-time superintendent who spends a portion of his days operating his gun shop, Fort Davis Firearms.
The series of events Hicks cited as potentially being related to his expulsion begins with he and Hartmann both being given raises and renewed contracts by the school board recently.
Hartmann’s pay was bumped up to $126,500 in November, he said, and she was extended a two-year contract by the school board in February after Hicks recommended she get a one-year contract. Hicks, who dropped down to part time in July of 2023, was given a pay increase from $60,000 to $126,500 in December following an “outstanding” performance review, he said. The board moves made Hartmann and Hicks the highest earners in the district.
“They gave me a basically full-time salary for half-time work,” Hicks said. Then, in January, he was given another one-year contract at his request by the board, he said.
In February, district leaders took a trip to Midland Christian School to discuss a potential partnership, Hicks said. He said he drove alone, while Hartmann drove to and fro with different board members. The next day Hicks was told to post a special board meeting regarding the early education partnership department, he said.
Hicks said during that February 6 meeting, Hartmann attended via Zoom with several other employees of the early childhood education department. Hartmann, in open session, according to Hicks, complained about Hicks, stating that he was interfering with her staff. Hartmann said she did not recall the situation.
The early education partnership department has several employees, all of which were hired by Hartmann, Hicks said. An organizational chart the board reviewed in October shows Hartmann at the top of the department with eight employees under her management. Hicks does not appear on the chart but said he worked on financial aspects of the program while Hartmann worked to recruit new partner districts.
There are currently four people working under Hartmann — a school readiness and curriculum coordinator, an administrative assistant, a regional specialist and a contracted special programs coordinator. Hicks said all of those employees are remote and were hired by Hartmann this fall. Hicks said the new division is costing the district over half a million dollars in salaries and travel, which has put a strain on the district’s cash flow.
Both Hicks and Hartmann have family members working at the district. Hartmann’s sister, Lisa Thompson, works remotely as a Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) director, and Hicks’ wife, Tammy, works as a PEIMS coordinator.
At the board’s regular meeting the following week on February 10, Hicks gave a report on partnership financials, according to the meeting agenda, and the board met with Hicks and Hartmann separately in executive session, he said. The meeting agenda included the item to “discuss discipline, or complaint, matters” in the executive session portion.
The issue then reappeared on a subsequent meeting agenda — listed as “Reports from Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent regarding Partnership department structure, goals, and staffing” on March 3. Hicks said the board again talked to him and Hartmann separately in closed session.
Hicks was asked the following week to post the Sunday meeting where he was placed on paid administrative leave.
As of press time the next scheduled Fort Davis ISD board meeting is April 14. Weaver did not respond to requests for comment on next steps.
*Editors note: this story has been updated to clarify that the school district is the recipient of funds from early education partnership consulting.