The GMPL gets its stripes, but no one parks there.
Here is the meeting agenda.
Why should you attend board meetings where the only issue appears to be the hiring a new superintendent? Here's why: the job carries with it the authority to permanently impact our community. Back in 2019 with less than a year on the job, the ICISD board trusted Superintendent Brian Gray to put together an $18 million bond. He brought to the table Jeff Potter, the same architect that built the gym at Gray's previous district, Union Grove ISD. Then, an interim superintendent served when Gray left a few months after the 2019 bond election (before the end of his contract term), and the interim signed all the relevant construction contracts...and then he left. Then DeSpain was hired in December 2019, spent more than the bond amount of $18 million, and now he is leaving...also before the end of his contract term. Potter has already left after collecting close to $1 million in fees, and the Potter/DeSpain legacy might best be described as our city streets as now permanent aqueducts for the new gym's stormwater runoff. Folks keep leaving, seemingly without any accountability.
All total, since 2016 when I asked the District to address stormwater runoff from the campus, there have been four (4) superintendents, none of whom expressed the least bit of concern that the District was responsible for flooding our community.
The folks that take these superintendent jobs are extraordinarily impactful. We should all take note, even if you have no children attending the school. The vast majority of this meeting will be in private during the executive session, which in itself is a reason for being present. Our government leaders should not be left unattended to during executive sessions.
How long will this next one stay?