The newly appointed Beaumont ISD Board of Managers held a roughly 20-minute special meeting May 5, officially hiring Sandi Massey as acting superintendent and making several policy changes, including accepting that the new superintendent is not properly credentialed for the job.
The Board of Managers, a Texas Education Agency (TEA) appointment now standing in place of the publicly elected Board of Trustees, includes Desmond Bridges Sr., Darrian Graves, Elias Ibarra, Laurie Leister, Board Secretary Arthur Louis Jr., Daniel Parker, and Board President Jeff Wheeler.
“As the community is aware, the Texas Education Agency intervened in Beaumont Independent School District on April 29, 2026, appointing a new board and superintendent through the transition,” Jeff Wheeler said. “This new governance team is committed to focusing unrelentingly on improving student outcomes. I look forward to working with the newly appointed superintendent to give our students the tools they need for a successful future.”
While instating Massey as acting superintendent, the board voted to waive the superintendent certification requirement with the TEA Commissioner of Education.
“She is in the process of completing her superintendent credentialing, and it will be instated before the next school year,” Wheeler said, adding that the board will require Massey to obtain the Texas Superintendent Certification before the 3-year waiver expires.
Speaking only in local government code jargon, the board elected to set aside several policies long held at BISD. The appointed officials only voiced the policy letters, and never said what any policy meant. Temporarily suspended local policies, as spoken during the public meeting, are BDAA, BE, BJA, DC, DCB, DCD, DK, and DP.
The Examiner researched each policy as follows:
- BDAA- requires trustees to organize by selecting a president, who must be a member of the board, a secretary, who may or may not be a member of the board, and other officers and committees the board considers necessary. In addition to the required post-election organization, a board may also organize at other times.
- BE- requires the board to act only by majority vote of the members present at a meeting held in compliance with Government Code Chapter 551 (Open Meetings Act), at which a quorum of the board is present and voting.
- BJA -states that a person may not be employed as a superintendent unless the person holds an appropriate certificate or permit.
- DC- states that the board is responsible for adopting employment policies for district personnel, including the superintendent’s employment and evaluation. The superintendent recommends personnel selections, principals approve campus staff appointments, employees must be notified of vacancies and all employees have the right to present grievances to the board.
- DCB - states that, unless employed under a probationary contract or a continuing contract, a school district shall employ each classroom teacher, principal, librarian, nurse, or school counselor under a term contract as provided by Education Code Chapter 21, Subchapter E.
- DCD - states that Texas is an employment-at-will state, meaning employees without a specific contract may be terminated at any time and without cause, unless otherwise prohibited by law.
- DK - requires public school employees to hold proper certification or permits for their assigned positions. Campus principals approve staff selections, while the superintendent has final authority over transfers related to enrollment or program changes. Districts may allow employees transfer opportunities, and parents must be notified if an uncertified or improperly certified teacher is assigned to a classroom for more than 30 consecutive instructional days.
- DP- outlines certification requirements and duties for BISD principals and key staff, including overseeing campus operations, managing personnel and reporting employee misconduct. It also details requirements for nurses, counselors, psychologists, and other support staff, while noting penalties for failing to report misconduct.
Full policy language can be found on the district’s website at bmtisd.com.
During the May 5 meeting, public concerns were made for the district’s future.
“When TEA took over the district, they didn't give us any guidelines,” Bridget Smith, a teacher at Pietzsch MacArthur said. “They didn't give us any headway of what they were going to do and how they were going to do it. I believe in all the schools having the same curriculum, (and the) curriculum being aligned with the teachers. We have found out that they are not…we're not robots. We don’t believe in giving our children a script and then letting them go. I believe in creativity. We were taught…to teach by the style of the child.
“We're here, we've been in the trenches. We stayed here, fought for our kids, and we're going to fight for our kids again…we are doing everything that we can. But, the No. 1 problem is, we need to get the children … to school.”
Following the meeting, May 7, Board President Wheeler signed Massey’s employment and relocation agreement, retroactive to April 29. The agreement provides Massey with a one-time $10,000 relocation payment, as well as $1,212.77 per day while serving as acting superintendent, in addition to reimbursement for “reasonable and necessary expenses” incurred in carrying out the role. Based on a standard 260-day contract, the daily rate would equate to an annual salary of approximately $315,320.20. Outgoing Superintendent Dr. Shannon Allen’s contracted salary for the 2025-26 school year was $283,127.
The Board of Managers is scheduled to meet again May 21, the earliest date a formal superintendent contract for Massey could be approved.