An overflow crowd is expected Tuesday night as the Waco Independent School District board of trustees weighs the future of its superintendent.
The seven-member board for the first time will discuss the March 6 arrest of Superintendent A. Marcus Nelson on a marijuana charge, and could decide whether he will remain in the role he has held since summer 2017.
The board is posted to discuss “personnel matters” in executive session, followed by an open session discussion and possible action “regarding consequences and and possible contract and employment implications, if any,” for the superintendent. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Waco ISD Conference Center at 115 S. Fifth St. It will also be broadcast live on WISD-TV and streamed online at wacoisd.org/live.
Waco ISD board President Pat Atkins acknowledged the difficulty of the situation in a Monday interview.
“I continue to fully expect every member of this board to focus on what they believe is best for the students and the district and the community,” he said. “Everyone recognizes it’s going to be a difficult decision.”
If the board takes any action Tuesday in Nelson’s case, it will be in open session, following the usual public comment period.
Waco ISD spokesman Kyle DeBeer said doors will open for the meeting at 5:30 p.m. and people should use the Fifth Street entrance. No large bags, signs, banners or weapons are allowed in the boardroom, he said.
After the closed session, a 30-minute public comment session will begin. Anyone wishing to speak should fill out a public comment form available outside the room, and each speaker will be limited to three minutes, DeBeer said.
Nelson was arrested on a Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession charge after a traffic stop in Robertson County. A state trooper found less than 2 ounces of marijuana in the passenger seat, according to the arrest affidavit. He has since taken a plea deal that will allow his record to be cleared through a pretrial diversion program.
In an interview Sunday, Nelson told the Tribune-Herald he would ask the board’s forgiveness and offer to use the episode as an opportunity to warn children about drugs and making poor decisions.
In the meantime, Nelson’s supporters have rallied to his defense. More than 5,600 people have signed a petition to keep him in the position, and a group of pastors last week held a news conference to support him. A community prayer meeting was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Carver Park Baptist Chruch to prepare for the school board meeting.
Karol Gray, a retired teacher who started the petition, said she expects hundreds of people to attend the meeting Tuesday.
“I’m very hopeful,” said Gray, who knows Nelson only by reputation. “I’m quite impressed at his honesty about all of it, especially in light of the fact that we all know that everybody makes mistakes. And most people’s response to their mistake is to want to cover it up or lie about it, say they didn’t do it. So I’m very impressed he said, ‘This is what happened. I made a mistake. I’m sorry. It was poor judgment, and I’m asking forgiveness.’ I think that’s a very admirable response because we all know that everyone makes mistakes.”
Nelson has received mostly strong reviews from community leaders regarding his job performance. He also sits on various civic boards, including the downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone board and the downtown Public Improvement District board.
Nelson has received mostly strong reviews from community leaders regarding his job performance. He also sits on various civic boards, including the downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone board and the downtown Public Improvement District board.
Norman Manning, secretary of the Waco ISD board, on Monday opted to withhold making comments until after the meeting. Board members Angela Tekell, Allen Sykes, Stephanie Korteweg and Larry Perez did not respond to requests for comment Monday afternoon.
Board member Cary DuPuy declined to state his opinion on the “conundrum” about whether to keep or dismiss Nelson, but he said “there’s pain no matter what path we take.”
“I think this is the most difficult issue we’ve faced together as a board since I’ve been on it,” said DuPuy, who has served since 2011. “I’m confident we can work through this together. We’re going to be OK. The district is going to be OK.
“As you would expect, a number of people in the community I consider very thoughtful and well-reasoned offered opposing views. That’s the kind of issue it is.”
Nelson said the arrest occurred when he was driving back from an interview with the Houston Independent School District board, though he said he was never a formal applicant for the superintendent position there. Before leaving Houston, he stopped at a friend’s house, and in the conversation, he mentioned he had chronic back pain, Nelson recalled.
Nelson’s friend suggested he use marijuana, he said, and Nelson smoked “a small sample” at the house. He said he was not under the influence hours later when the trooper pulled him over for driving in the passing lane on U.S. Highway 190/State Highway 6 northwest of Hearne.
Nelson was booked into Robertson County Jail in Franklin and released the next day on his own recognizance. On Friday, Nelson signed a plea agreement with the Robertson County District Attorney’s Office and paid $500 to enter a pretrial diversion program. The charge will be dismissed if Nelson avoids trouble for 90 days.
— WACOTRIB
— WACOTRIB
