DESOTO, Texas — The Texas Education Agency (TEA)-assigned conservator of DeSoto ISD, AJ Crabill, announced his intent to recommend the closure of his tenure with the district on Dec. 18, citing improvement “in the areas of academics, talent, and governance.”
Crabill, the TEA’s former deputy commissioner for governance, was appointed by the TEA as the state conservator to oversee the district in 2020 after an audit of the district’s finances at that time.
As conservator, Crabill was tasked with “identifying the issues that led to the non-compliance and report to the agency on the development of a corrective action plan to address identified issues,” as well as directing “the Board of Trustees regarding personnel actions for district employees as necessary,” and more.
Conservators are appointed to assist “in the reorganization of staff and resources; reduction of budget and spending; and guidance of district preparations to rebuild a fund balance.”
“Over the past three years, DeSoto ISD has grown significantly in the areas of academics, talent, and governance. While the work of uplifting DeSoto ISD remains an ongoing endeavor, the portion of that work for which I, personally, can be most helpful -- restoring acceptable levels of effectiveness in these key areas of school system leadership -- is complete,” said Crabill. “The task of improving from acceptable performance to optimal performance in these areas is best accomplished by an effective, independent local board and superintendent team, not a conservator.”
Crabill announced in September 2022 that he was shifting to a more passive role in the district while continuing to monitor district progress, updates, and observations to TEA as required.
Among the improvements noted in a news release was that the district’s FIRST Rating improved from an F in 2018 to a C in 2021.
Also, the news release states all districts have passing TEA accountability ratings with a 2021 district accountability rating of “B.” In 2018, the district received a TEA accountability rating of “D” and had campuses rated as "D" and "F," according to the news release.
While Crabill expressed intent to recommend his removal from DeSoto as a conservator to TEA, district officials say the district will retain the placement of its financial conservator for now.
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