Max Parker Named San Angelo ISD Board President

Parker is best known for his reasoned approach to last year's controversy over renaming Robert E. Lee Middle School. The decision was tough because of 71 years of history and alumni who revered the tradition of being a "Lee Rebel." Parker agonized over the issue, and came to a realization that once the issue was brought up by San Angeloans seeking racial justice, there was no pathway in 2021 to save the Lee name. At the same time, Parker was sympathetic to the traditionalist mindset and feared the first school to fall to the renaming movement may lead to demanding that all San Angelo ISD schools named after historical figures to be renamed. Most of the schools are named after 19th Century Texas heroes.

The name of John H. Reagan Elementary School had already been targeted by the NAACP as requiring a change during the Lee debate. Parker's compromise was to urge the board to vote to change the name of Lee Middle School, but the renaming ends there. With that, he offered up a full-throated defense of the legacy of John H. Reagan. Although Reagan's sin was that he had served the Confederacy as its postmaster general, his name is not linked to suppression of others like Lee's has become, nor did his Civil War position define his legacy, Parker argued. Reagan Elementary was built and named in 1909, within 5 years of Reagan's death. There was more evidence San Angelo's forefathers in 1909 named the then new elementary school after Reagan to honor the famous Texas statesman than as a statement of racism, Parker said.

"Reagan was probably the greatest statesman Texas has ever produced," Parker said.

You can watch Parker's speech on the renaming of schools below (or here). Parker's reasoning was received as even-handed. The result was a 6-1 decision to rename Lee Middle School and the board has since left the other school names alone. None of the board members who voted against the Lee name who were challenged for re-election in 2021 were defeated even though the Lee decision was an issue.

Finding solutions to controversies is a rare talent Parker possesses but he said he would rather be solving challenges with educating all of San Angelo ISD's students instead. A big challenge of the board is hiring the right personnel and setting the foundation where talented educators can excel.

"We learned through board training that stability was essential to have a strong board and a strong school district. We also learned that when we had the opportunity to hire a superintendent we needed to hire a great one to make our job easier and our district better. We had that opportunity with Dr. Carol Ann Bonds and we’ve now had that same opportunity with Dr. Dethloff," he said.

"When you have stability with your board, it trickles down and leads to stability with your superintendent, administrators, and your teachers. All of our board members are terrific. We have no egos — Bill Dendle, Taylor Kingman, Gerard Gallegos, Ami Mizell-Flint, and our newest member, Lupita Arroyo.

"I believe all have much desire and talent, so our board will lead. We have no infighting. We are all dedicated to making our district the best it can be so that we can provide the best resources to our administrators and teachers and provide our students with the best opportunity to succeed," Parker said, whose term expires in 2023.

Parker is a 1973 graduate of the University of Texas and earned his J.D. in 1976 from UT. Since 1991, Parker has headed the Christian Breakfast Fellowship, an interdenominational Christian organization started by Aubrey Stokes, a founding partner of his law firm, Webb, Stokes and Sparks. He is also active in the Catholic Cursillo and Walk to Emmaus.

Before Parker was elected the new president, Lanny Layman announced he was stepping down but he will remain on the board through the end of his term. He was re-elected in 2019 for a term also expiring in the spring of 2023.

Should Layman not run again in 2023, he will close out more than 20 years service to the San Angelo ISD. He explained the board's decision to allow another member to lead.

"When I ran for office four years ago I told the board I would not run again," said Layman. "We [the board] then thought it would be a good idea to let someone else lead."

As a life-long San Angeloan, Layman has been involved in the community for decades. His involvement with San Angelo ISD began in 1996 and by 2001 launched his first campaign to be a member of the school board.

"I am humbled by the opportunity I have had to serve as a board trustee for so long. One of the things I have enjoyed the most about being the board president is being able to see first hand the success of our students," said Layman. "Not just success based on how we are doing on STARR testing, but the success we measure for the accomplishments our students earn in different areas."

Layman's announcement was following the district virtual award ceremony that highlighted student success in athletics, UIL, band, and choir to the board.

For Layman, one of the accomplishments of which he is proudest is bringing two outstanding superintendents to the community in the last decade-and-a-half.

Layman said the success of the current board accelerated over the past 15 years. Notable accomplishments of the board were in personnel by allowing the administration to hire excellent administrators and teachers. Of note, Layman said the hire of San Angelo Central Football Coach Brent Davis was a turning point. In Layman's words, dressing up the front porch and bringing notable athletic excellence to San Angelo's signature football program enhanced the pride of the community and also opened the door for making more hires from outside the district.

Layman, who served as the CEO of a public corporation while also serving on San Angelo's school board, said it was not that hiring from within is never the answer, but having that option to hire outside an organization gives opportunities for new ideas and strength. In the Texas school administration human resources market, hiring candidates from outside the district can be more costly than promoting within, so the board had to show the voters the strategy will pay off. The football program was a visible example. The other benefit of hiring excellence from outside San Angelo is that cells of excellence take root in the local organization.

When Dr. Carol Ann Bonds was named superintendent, Layman saw her term here as a game-changer and a chance to invest in building a strong bench of assistant administrators around her. He urged the board to give Dr. Bonds wide latitude and money to build her team. Layman said by the time Dr. Bonds announced her retirement, the board had at least three candidates on her team who were capable and competitive to assume the superintendent position. The board selected Dr. Carl Dethloff, who was at the time Bonds' human resources assistant superintendent, and Layman said he has been very pleased with Dethloff's performance.

"He's is absolutely an excellent leader of our district," Layman said.

Looking to the future, Layman expressed his hopes for San Angelo ISD. The biggest task at hand will be ensuring students are back on track after spending 15 months dealing with the pandemic and all the changes that came with it.

"We have to be really diligent in making sure our students get caught back up from being out of the classroom, said Layman. "We got back to school in person much quicker than other districts, but in the next three years we will have to be especially diligent to ensure to catch up those kids."

Layman's second goal is to maintain and improve several facilities and hopefully pass a bond issue that would make those changes possible.

This week, after we interviewed Layman for this article, Governor Greg Abbott announced a new executive order that prohibits local governments from instilling mask mandates. According to Layman before the governor's order, San Angelo ISD had been working hand in hand with local health officials and had decided masks would not be mandated for students and staff.

"Our relationship with local health officials that are helping make these decisions for the community of San Angelo has been incredibly positive," said Layman. "They have helped us maneuver these tough waters for the last 15 months and I think it's time for us to move forward."