Amidst a state investigation and board infighting, Judson Independent School District named a new interim leader.
On Tuesday, the board chose Ann Dixon, a longtime educator and familiar face at Judson, in a 6-1 vote. Once the superintendent of Somerset ISD, Dixon has served as interim at more than 20 other districts in Texas, including Judson at one point.
This is the fourth time the school board has picked an interim superintendent after pushing out Milton Fields in January, a longtime Judson employee who became superintendent in 2023.
“Given the challenges and opportunities ahead, we believe an experienced external interim superintendent can provide the perspective, stability, and leadership necessary to help guide the district through this period, while allowing our internal leaders to continue focusing on the critical work of supporting students, staff, and schools,” said board president Monica Ryan.
Dixon began her education career at Judson over 50 years ago as a speech pathologist. Since then she’s gone on to serve in district leadership roles, as superintendent, board member and has been recognized by the Texas legislature for her work.
Ryan briefly hired Dixon as an outside financial consultant during budget disagreements with Judson staff last year, but the board voted not to renew the contract after finding out Judson was paying $1,500 a day for the consulting from a TPR investigation.
Dixon’s contract lasted 20 days, and the district paid her $30,000 plus expenses.
A revolving door
The district has cycled through four leaders while finalizing Fields’ termination, a dramatic and bitter process that didn’t wrap until April.
The board first placed Fields on administrative leave in January after board members accused him of financial mismanagement, harassment and failure to disclose knowledge of alleged abuse.
With Milton on leave, the board appointed district employee Lacey Gosch as acting superintendent between Jan. 10 and Feb. 4. After officially firing Milton, the board picked another employee, Mary Duhart-Toppen as interim superintendent.
The board picked another employee, Mary Duhart-Toppen, for a brief stint as interim superintendent from Feb. 4 to Feb. 16. At the time, Ryan said Duhart-Toppen was ineffective. The board then hired Robert Jaklich, a retired superintendent who once led Harlandale ISD and was tapped as interim superintendent in San Antonio ISD a few years ago.
At the time Jaklich was hired, the board didn’t announce plans or next steps for a permanent superintendent search. Ryan, who led the charge against Fields, said she wanted to give the district time to settle before another change.
Jaklich announced his resignation last week in an email to staff, and his last official day is June 30.
Under Jaklich, the district cut 500 positions — most of them vacant— and proposed other cost-saving measures like freezing pay to balance Judson’s budget after reaching a $35 million deficit during the 2025-26 school year.
The board is supposed to vote on adopting the budget Jaklich had a huge hand in shaping on Thursday, June 25.
Challenges ahead
Dixon steps into the office in a key budget moment, as board divisions continue to spill over into public meetings, as well as lawsuits, sanctions and investigations.
The Texas Education Agency is currently investigating whether Judson leaders violated state laws amid allegations against both Fields and Ryan.
Initially kept under wraps when he was place on leave in January, Fields was accused by both Ryan and trustee Lesley Lee of failing to report the abuse of a student by a district employee and failing to notify the board of a TEA investigation into another case where an employee failed to report child abuse, among other things.
TEA’s investigation also accuses Ryan of abusing her power as board president to undermine the superintendent and other staff, and threaten board members.
Trustees were also accused by TEA’s investigation of discussing board business regarding the superintendent’s termination and interim leadership off-site and in private channels, which are open meetings violations. It’s unclear which or how many trustees.
Meanwhile, a legal battle between current trustee José Macias Jr. and the district escalated to federal court in May after the board voted 4-3 to sanction him for allegedly pressuring fellow board members to vote a certain way and for sharing confidential board information on social media.
Macias and Ryan often butt heads, publicly sparring during board meetings and on social media.
As part of the sanction, Macias was barred from district property for six months except for the board room and prohibited from traveling on board business and accessing district funds for a year.
In response, Macias filed a lawsuit to drop the sanctions and asking for $1 million in restitution. The suit is currently pending as both sides finalize their arguments.
Macias was the lone vote against hiring Dixon on Tuesday, commenting that Judson is facing several challenges right now, and finding a permanent leader could be difficult.
Trustee Laura Stanford said she supported hiring Dixon because external candidates seem to bring more stability to Judson, citing Jaklich’s five-month tenure.
Dixon has a track record of shoring up troubled districts’ finances and academics, Ryan said. Under her leadership in the 1990s, Somerset ISD showed improved academics, better facilities and some of the highest teacher salaries in Bexar County at the time, according to a state resolution honoring her work.
“Her knowledge of the district, combined with her track record of stabilizing and strengthening school systems across Texas, will help us continue the important work of improving our student outcomes, restrain our financial stability, and rebuilding trust throughout our organization,” Ryan said.