Judson ISD board moves to propose termination of superintendent after heated public comment; interim appointed

The Judson ISD Board of Trustees voted on a proposal to terminate Superintendent Milton Rob Fields III and later appointed Dr. Mary Duhart Toppin as interim superintendent following a special meeting that drew sustained public comment and debate over the district's investigative process.

Dozens of residents, staff and alumni spoke during the meeting's public comment period, many urging the board to preserve stability and provide fuller public information about an external investigation. "We need to retain Dr. Fields as the Judson ISD superintendent," said Lisa Pfeiffer, who asked the board where the investigation results were and called for reasoned action. Dr. Paula Johnson, the district's executive director of student engagement, urged trustees to "ensure that any decisions made regarding Dr. Fields' future are based strictly on objective evidence and merit, not on the whispers of those who seek to gain by tearing him down."

Other speakers described the district's morale and finances as at risk. "You look bad," said Scott Willis, referencing the board's optics and saying staff retention and trust were in jeopardy. Several speakers warned that opaque handling of personnel matters could invite state intervention; Jamila Naylor Thompson pointed to past state takeovers as a cautionary example.

Trustee Macias moved to reinstate Dr. Fields during the meeting, arguing the investigation process had been flawed and asserting that staff complaints had not been handled through the district's grievance procedures. Board discussion that followed hinged on competing characterizations: some trustees described "serious concerns that rose to the level of legal good cause" briefed in closed session, while others raised questions about whether the investigation and related meetings had complied with open‑meetings norms and whether conflicts of interest had influenced the process.

After a closed session for consultation with legal counsel under Texas Government Code sections 551.071 and 551.074, the board reconvened and a trustee moved to propose termination of Dr. Fields' employment contract and to keep him on administrative leave with pay. The chair called the motion and put it to a vote; the public record in the meeting transcript states that the motion passed. The meeting record does not provide a clear roll‑call breakdown of that vote in the public audio transcript.

The board then considered and approved an interim appointment. A motion to appoint Dr. Mary Duhart Toppin as interim superintendent passed on a recorded 5‑to‑2 vote.

The meeting concluded at 10:17 p.m. with no final action said to have been taken during the closed session. Trustees and community members left with sharply different public characterizations of the process: some praised the decision as necessary given allegations briefed to the board and tied to student safety concerns, while many public commenters and several trustees urged greater transparency and cautioned about community and staff fallout.

What comes next: the board directed the president to provide notice related to the proposed termination. Members of the public said they would pursue administrative complaints and litigation; one speaker said she had already filed a lawsuit and provided evidence to the Texas Education Agency and local prosecutors.

(Reporting notes: quotes and attributions are drawn directly from the meeting transcript. Statements about legal standards and next steps reflect motions and statutory exceptions cited by trustees on the public record.)