New Guard Takes Over the San Angelo ISD

Parker’s replacement for Single Member District 5 is Dr. Kyle Mills, DO. He runs the wound care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Shannon Medical Center. He was sworn in Monday night along with returning members Pam Duncan and Gallegos by County Judge Lane Carter.

Dendle praised Parker for his honesty and integrity.

“He set an example for me. He’s been a mentor for me for policies and procedures, and also just in general with his actions in how he treated everyone with kindness and being so considerate,” Dendle said.

“It’s been an honor serving with you for the past 18 years,” added Gallegos. He recalled a conference he attended with Parker where the two witnessed examples of dysfunctional school boards. Gallegos said that Parker’s leadership accommodated all points of views even when he and Parker didn’t agree. For that, San Angelo’s schools avoided a dysfunctional board, he said.

“You will be missed,” Gallegos concluded.

Trustee Pam Duncan was emotional in her tribute to Parker. She recalled a time years ago when Duncan was a teacher and Parker presented his child to the school. Parker’s child did not want to go to school that day and was very upset, Duncan recalled. As Duncan relayed the story, Parker told Duncan that day that all would be alright since his child would be in the care of a teacher (Duncan).

“I will be eternally grateful for that day when Mr. Parker trusted a teacher with his child,” she said.

“When I got on the board six years ago, Max was the first to get in touch with me and welcome me. [It all] boils down to the fact that he’s been a leader with a servant’s heart the whole time he’s been doing this. He and I don’t always agree on everything but he always has the students of San Angelo ISD and this community on the forefront of his mind and in his heart. For that, San Angelo ISD should forever be grateful for Max Parker,” said Kingman.

Trustee Lupita Arroyo thanked Parker for his 18 years for service.

Parker, an attorney, has a gift as a consensus maker and with that he will be most remembered for his leading role in resolving the Lee Middle School controversy.

In what was the most fractious era of school districts, during the unrest of 2020, some citizens petitioned the board to remove the name of Robert E. Lee from one of three middle schools in the district. The debate consumed the school district for most of 2020 and no middle ground seemed reachable. Either the district was going to roll over the traditionalists to appease the activists or vis versa. District staff had arranged for a series of forums on the Lee Middle School name, calling it “Engaging Equity,” that was in itself a politically-charged name favoring the anti-Lee side. For that, citizens — district taxpayers — were suspicious the district was steamrolling the name change over their vocal objection.

In an impassioned speech on the day the board voted 6-1 to remove the Lee name from the school, Parker was able to bridge the wide gap between the sides, proposing that the board should remove the name, and when it does, all discussions about renaming other schools, to include John H. Reagan Elementary School, will stop. While Lee was the commander of Confederate forces during the Civil War, Reagan was the CSA’s Postmaster General.

“After the War, Reagan became one of the greatest statesmen in the history of Texas,” despite his service to the CSA, Parker argued.

The board agreed with Parker and the compromise — that there will be no more considerations of renaming anything else — has held to this day. Furthermore, there were no serious challenges to unseat board members who voted to remove Lee’s name. It was Parker’s speech that ended the controversy and returned the board to the business of education. Watch Parker’s speech about the Robert E. Lee controversy here:

"It’s been an honor serving our community and serving our district,” Parker said.

After handing the gavel to Kingman, Parker retired from the dais and moved to the audience to watch Kingman and the new board tackle the month’s business. On June 12, the board begins its arduous series of its annual budget and finance workshops, which in today’s economic and taxing environment, Parker must be relieved to be watching from the sidelines.