Editorial: DISD's investigation of trustee is a step too far

At first, DISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ decision to have district police officers remove trustee Bernadette Nutall at Dade Middle School last month appeared to be a case of a politician overstepping her bounds and an administrator properly preserving his authority.

But the district’s recent decision to hire former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins to investigate Nutall turns the tables.

Coggins is not probing the Dade confrontation itself, which the Texas Education Agency will review. Instead, he will investigate at least three incidents involving Nutall and district employees, stemming from complaints made after the Dade run-in.

Miles also had recently asked Sylvia Reyna, a former high-ranking DISD administrator who has since retired, to tell investigators about an incident two years ago in which Nutall raised her voice; Reyna declined.

Nothing that has been publicly disclosed about this mess seems to justify hiring a former U.S. attorney to investigate. And even if more substantive details come to light, this newspaper questions whether this is the wisest way to pursue an inquiry against a trustee.

Nutall and Miles have had more than enough time to put the Dade incident behind them. But they haven’t.

Nutall filed a criminal complaint with the Dallas County district attorney’s office, accusing Miles of committing “official oppression” when he had officers remove her. Now it appears that Miles is doubling down with an outside investigator to make the case that Nutall’s treatment of other DISD employees justified the action at Dade.

To make matters worse, Miles has not been forthcoming about the investigation. His statement to this newspaper that he didn’t know anything about the hiring of Coggins strains credulity.

This episode threatens Miles’ credibility with the public and trustees. That includes board President Miguel Solis, a former Miles aide who is seen as his ally, but who, like his board colleagues, was blindsided by news of Coggins’ hiring and called the timing “peculiar.”

Just last year, the board admonished Miles for using a top administrator’s resignation letter, which harshly criticized a trustee, “to generate positive publicity for himself and negative publicity for the board.”

The board subsequently rewrote Miles’ contract to make failure to maintain “an effective working relationship” with trustees a fireable offense.

Pursuing a feud with Nutall is not worth it, especially if it begins to hamper the superintendent’s ability to lead.

Most disturbing is that none of this drama is improving the education of children in the district.

TIMELINE

Oct. 13: Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles has trustee Bernadette Nutall physically removed from Dade Middle School, saying he needs to meet with the reorganized staff without Nutall present.

Oct. 22: Several dozen residents call for Miles’ resignation at a board meeting, creating enough commotion that board President Miguel Solis recesses the meeting to restore order.

Oct 31: Nutall confirms filing a criminal complaint with the Dallas County district attorney’s office, accusing Miles of “official oppression” over the Dade incident.

Nov 6: Trustees unanimously agree to ask the Texas Education Agency to investigate the Dade incident and seek an opinion from the Texas attorney general on a superintendent’s power to remove a trustee from a district facility. DISD general counsel Jack Elrod tells board members in closed session that the district hired former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins to lead an investigation of Nutall on separate complaints.