057-906

September 2, 2020
Via Certified Mail
& Regular Mail

Karen Daniel, Board President

DeSoto Independent School District
200 East Belt Line Road
DeSoto, Texas 75115

Don Hooper, Acting Superintendent

DeSoto Independent School District
200 East Belt Line Road
DeSoto, Texas 75115

RE: Conservator Appointment to DeSoto Independent School District

Dear Mrs. Daniel and Dr. Hooper:

As you are aware, in correspondence dated September 1, 2020, I notified DeSoto Independent
School District (ISD or district) regarding my determination to appoint a conservator to be named
at a future date pursuant to Texas Education Code (Tex. Educ. Code) §§39A.002(2), 39A.002(7),
39A.003, 39A.003(a), 39.057(d), and 19 Texas Administrative Code (Tex. Admin. Code)
§§97.1057, 97.1059, and 97.1073(e).

I am appointing AJ Crabill as conservator to DeSoto ISD. As conservator, AJ Crabill’s role will

include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Working with the district to identify the issues that led to the non-compliance and report
to the agency on the development of a corrective action plan to address the issues, in
accordance with Tex. Educ. Code §§39.057(d), 39A.001(2), and 39A.002(7).
• Direct the board of trustees regarding personnel actions for district employees as
necessary to ensure effective leadership.
• Ensuring that the district’s board of trustees conducts a hearing to notify the public of
the district’s insufficient performance, the improvements in performance expected by
the agency, and the interventions and sanctions that may be imposed under this
section if the performance does not improve, in accordance with Tex. Educ. Code
§39A.002(2).

Please note that the appointment of a conservator does not relieve DeSoto ISD and its board of
trustees of the responsibility to, at all times, operate the district in compliance with all applicable
statutes and rules. The agency reserves the right to implement all available interventions and
sanctions under Tex. Educ. Code, Chapters 39 and 39A, and Title 19, Tex. Admin. Code,
Chapters 97, to address the current or any future deficiencies identified for the district. The cost
of the conservator’s services will be paid by the district in accordance with Tex. Educ. Code
§39A.903. The conservator’s fee shall be $85 per hour plus necessary travel expenses not to
exceed the state per diem rate. Failure to make timely payments to the conservator may result
in appropriate amounts being deducted from the district’s Foundation School Program (FSP)
funds.

Opportunity for an Informal Review

As stated in previous correspondence and set forth in 19 Tex. Admin. Code §157.1123, the district
has the right to request an informal review regarding the intent to appoint a conservator. However,
this informal review shall be provided only if the district submits a written request for informal
review not later than September 11, 2020. 19 Tex. Admin. Code §157.1123(b). Written
information must be submitted by the required deadline for requesting an informal review. 19 Tex.
Admin. Code §157.1123(c). If no informal review is requested by the deadline, a final decision
may be issued without informal review. 19 Tex. Admin. Code §157.1123(d).

Any written response or other correspondence pertaining to this notice must be sent to:

Division of Accreditation & Enforcement

Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
Fax: (512) 475-3665
EnforcementCoordination@tea.texas.gov

Sincerely,

Jeff Cottrill
Deputy Commissioner of Governance & Accountability

JC/lm

cc: Dr. Gordon Taylor, Executive Director, Region 10 ESC

Jeff Cottrill, Deputy Commissioner, Governance and Accountability, TEA
Mike Meyer, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Administration, TEA
Kelvey Oeser, Deputy Commissioner, Educator Support, TEA
Leo Lopez, Associate Commissioner/Chief School Finance Officer, TEA
Cory Green, Associate Commissioner, Grants and Compliance Oversight, TEA
Joe Siedlecki, Associate Commissioner, System Support, TEA
Morris Lyon, Senior Governance Advisor, TEA
Adam Benthall, Director, Special Investigations, TEA
Von Byer, General Counsel, TEA
Christopher Jones, Senior Legal Counsel, TEA
Lizette Ridgeway, Director, School Improvement, TEA
AJ Crabill, Conservator