Texas Scorecard by Erin Anderson February 1, 2023
Granbury ISD administrator’s six flights with family versus three with prospective aviation students an ethical “gray area.”Granbury Independent School District is selling its controversial airplane after an assistant superintendent was caught using the plane for personal travel with family, but the joyriding administrator has yet to face disciplinary action.
At their January school board meeting, Granbury ISD trustees voted 7-0 to sell the plane, purchased in 2021 as part of the North Texas school district’s aviation program for students.
The program itself, offered through the district’s Career and Technical Education department, enjoys significant support within the community.
Multiple Texas school districts offer aviation programs but don’t own their own planes.
A committee tasked with reviewing the aviation program told trustees the cost of operating the plane was “much higher than anticipated” and concluded the district should outsource the flight training portion of the program.
Yet the district took no action against Assistant Superintendent Jimmy Dawson, one of two district employees authorized to fly the plane.
“Selling the plane was good,” Rene Poe, a longtime leader in Granbury’s conservative community, told Texas Scorecard. “No discipline for the assistant superintendent who took it joyriding and for family get-togethers does not send a good message to our students.”
Last November, a WFAA reporter revealed that Dawson flew the plane to Abilene in June to visit his daughter. His wife, who is also an administrator in the district, traveled with him.
Dawson is not a flight instructor but was supposed to use the plane to provide promotional “discovery” flights for students interested in the aviation program.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/school-district-to-sell-plane-no-discipline-for-joyriding-admin/
