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In a heated meeting Monday, Fort Bend Independent School District trustees voted 5-1 to approve Superintendent Christie Whitbeck’s hastily announced plan to retire — a move that she suggested came amid pressure from some board members to step down.
The contentious vote laid bare deep rifts in a board grappling with political divisions following recent elections, which ushered in more-conservative trustees. In the lead-up to the vote, trustees publicly argued over sharing the details that led up to Whitbeck’s sudden departure.
Whitbeck’s last day leading the Houston region's fourth-largest district will be Dec. 11, though she will assist new Acting Superintendent Beth Martinez, who previously served as Fort Bend's deputy superintendent, through June 2024.
The acrimonious split marks a sharp turn from this summer, when Fort Bend trustees voted to extend Whitbeck’s contract until December 2026 and bumped her salary from $370,000 to $377,400. In an emotional speech Monday, Trustee Kristen Davis Malone alleged Whitbeck’s abrupt exit was the forced result of conflicts between her and board members, including President Judy Dae.
“It boils down to personality conflicts between our president, our secretary, and perhaps one other (trustee),” Malone said. “Election night … I received a phone call from our attorney that President Dae wanted us to move forward with having a discussion about the separation agreement … And I learned (Whitbeck) had been given an ultimatum by President Dae.”
Dae objected to public discussion of what led Whitbeck to retire, while Trustee Sonya Jones leveled the claim that the superintendent would “never be able to work in education again” if trustees shared everything discussed in private. Jones didn’t elaborate on her claim about misconduct by Whitbeck, which drew uproar from meeting attendees before Dae promptly instructed trustees to return to voting.
Dae declined to comment after the meeting, citing high emotions among trustees, while Whitbeck was not available for an interview. Dae did not respond during the meeting to claims that she helped orchestrate Whitbeck’s retirement.
Whitbeck has guided Fort Bend for three years, maintaining the district’s B grade under Texas’ academic accountability system while avoiding major controversies. Her resignation comes one month after Fort Bend residents voted to raise the district’s tax rate, generating about $35 million more annually for district operations.
“I have never done anything illegal, immoral or improper ever, and I never will,” Whitbeck said at the meeting. “When I was talked to about this, it was 19 hours after our election passed. … I was completely and totally blindsided.”
Several trustees that ran on more-conservative platforms and received endorsements from local Republican leaders took seats on the board in the past few years. While Whitbeck and board members haven’t publicly argued in overt political tones, a rift emerged in recent months over Whitbeck’s embrace of restorative discipline strategies, which are typically supported by more-progressive education advocates.
Several trustees, in favor of more traditional discipline measures like suspensions, publicly opposed the superintendent’s push for restorative practices, a method that aims to address misbehavior by allowing students to talk through conflicts.
The trustees who most vocally resisted Whitbeck’s restorative discipline push did not comment publicly Monday about claims that some board members moved to oust the superintendent. One of those trustees, David Hamilton, told Whitbeck that it is “indisputable that the district is in better shape today than it was when you took the job.”
However, Malone pointed to Whitbeck’s swift retirement as evidence of politics at play. She did not detail specific instances of dissension between the board and Whitbeck.
“Guys, does it make sense that a superintendent would retire after doing all of this, just on a whim?” Malone asked meeting attendees. “Do you believe it? Are you buying it?”
Most of the roughly 50 people attending the meeting appeared in favor of Whitbeck. Many jeered as Dae and Jones spoke, while several were in tears as the board voted to approve Whitbeck’s retirement.
Fort Bend resident David Sincere, an area pastor, said he’s concerned about the stability of the district.
“I have never seen the district in this position in terms of division,” Sincere said. “We can have truth and transparency and we can learn how to work together.”
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