Hutto Independent School District

Coach had sex with student in Hutto High School classroom

A Hutto High School football coach and teacher was charged with improper relationship between educator and student, after admitting to having a relationship with a 16-year-old student. The coach was booked into the Williamson County Jail and released the same day. The father of the teenager called police after he learned the 26 year old coach had been inappropriately communicating with his daughter by text message and Snapchat. Her father was told by an acquaintance that the teenager and the coach were dating and in a sexual relationship. In an interview with police, the coach admitted to dating and having a sexual relationship with the student, including in the coach’s classroom at Hutto High School. The coach was originally placed on administrative leave and Hutto ISD School Superintendent Douglas Killian said he later accepted the coach’s resignation instead of firing him. The State Board of Educator Certification at the Texas Education Agency is pursuing the revocation of the coach’s teaching certificates. ^[3]

Student with gun arrested after seeking drugs from wife of school superintendent

A student walked into the school nurse’s office at Hutto High School with a gun seeking to obtain a drug called Adderall. The drug, which is used to treat attention deficit disorder, is a stimulant that can be abused. The incident occurred after school was over but some staff were still on the campus. The school nurse, who is the wife of Hutto ISD Superintendent Douglas Killian, was not arrested. The Hutto Police Department and Superintendent Killian did not immediately comment on the incident. ^[4]

Reassigned Hutto coach files grievance against school superintendent

A female Hutto High School coach, who was recently reassigned to a middle school position, filed a grievance against Superintendent Douglas Killian in attempting to be reinstated to a job she held for 26 years. The coach was moved to an athletic coordinator’s position for the school district’s two middle schools. The move was made after she declined to accept a $20,000 pay cut. The coach’s new middle school assignment has created a firestorm among Hutto players and parents. Superintendent Killian seemed to give conflicting statements regarding his decision to reassign the coach to the middle schools. Killian originally told the American-Statesman newspaper that the move stemmed from “the inappropriate actions of (the) coach (that were) uncovered” during the district’s investigation into the athletic program. The 17-page report details alleged misconduct of Hutto coaches and athletes in both the boys and girls departments. Later, however, Killian, in an email to a former Hutto volleyball player, suggested that the decision to reassign the coach had nothing to do with the school district’s investigation. Killian was asked for clarification on his statement regarding the coach’s inappropriate actions that were uncovered by the report but Killian did not respond. ^[5]

Another Hutto ISD employee accused of improper relationship with student

Allegations surfaced that a Hutto ISD employee who assisted with the high school band had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student during the spring school semester. Another school district employee who was “made aware” of the relationship reported it. Neither Hutto ISD School Superintendent Douglas Killian nor Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Lisa Patterson provided any details about the employee’s pre-hire background investigation or what the employee’s work with the band involved. It was learned that the employee had worked for the district for seven years and did not have a teaching certificate. Information about whether police charged the employee was not immediately available at the time the allegations were made public. Police are investigating the allegations and will determine if there are additional victims or if other Hutto ISD employees are involved. ^[6]

Couple stole thousands from Hutto elementary school PTA

A Parent Teacher Association vice president and her husband were accused of draining the account of the Ray Elementary PTA in Hutto dry by cashing more than $14,700 in unauthorized checks, according to an arrest affidavit. Both were charged with theft, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail. The PTA official had been given the checkbook for the school’s PTA to take care of bills and to look after the day-to-day operations of the organization. Police were notified when a PTA board member said she received a phone call from the organization’s credit union concerning suspicious activity on the PTA’s account involving returned checks. The board member told police some of the unauthorized checks the couple cashed had her forged signature on them. None of the checks were for expenditures approved by the elementary school’s PTA board as required. When a police detective called the PTA official, she said she had the checkbook and other property belonging to the Ray Elementary PTA. The official told police it was “normal” for her to forge other people’s signatures on Hutto PTA checks. The PTA board member who notified police said she had copies of more than 31 checks that the PTA vice president and her husband had cashed that showed they had withdrawn more than $17,000. The credit union said the checking account for the PTA had no money in it. It is unclear why Hutto ISD School Superintendent Doug Killian or Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Ramos, did not question the loss of funds until the police were called. ^[7]

Hutto ISD official charged with stealing from former district: Indicted Hutto ISD official's job application reveals questionable references

Williamson County Sheriff's Deputies confirm that the Hutto ISD Executive Director of Facilities and Operations faces charges of theft by a public servant, money laundering, and misappropriation of fiduciary property. Investigators said while the employee was Assistant Superintendent of Support at Comal ISD in New Braunfels, he accepted bribes of more than $20,000 but less than $100,000. Comal County officials indicted the Hutto ISD executive on three felony counts. The charges relate to the Hutto employee’s work as a former Comal ISD assistant superintendent. He is accused of making or causing misapplied payments of $20,000 to $100,000 to be made to a Temple-based construction contractor among other issues. The indicted Hutto ISD official appears to have been hired by Hutto Superintendent Douglas Killian with letters of reference from an individual and company that now appear intertwined in the criminal allegations against him. While at Comal ISD, the Hutto ISD employee worked under a former superintendent who was indicted the same day and on the same charges, according to court records. After the employee moved to the Hutto ISD he was appointed the Execcutive Director of Facilities and Operations. In this position, he reported directly to Hutto ISD Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Ramos and Superintendent Killian. After the employee’s hire at Hutto ISD, the bid to construct Hutto’s Norman Elementary School was awarded to the same contractor which was implicated in alleged prior scheme involving the employee’s alleged misapplied payments and money laundering activities, according to district records. Hutto ISD School Superintendent Killian, Deputy Superintendent Ramos, and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Lisa Patterson reportedly acknowledged the district was aware of an investigation into the employee related to his work at Comal ISD when he was hired by Hutto ISD. The district said the employee was forthcoming about the investigation, and he "came to the district with good references”. One reference letter on a company letterhead came from a managing partner in the same construction firm later named in the Hutto ISD employee’s indictment. Another reference letter came from the employee’s former Comal ISD boss, who, after writing the letter, was arrested on charges that parallel the Hutto ISD employee’s alleged crimes. The construction firm’s recommendation was dated after Comal County investigators allege the employee’s felonies occurred. The managing partner dated his reference during the timeframe the state believes the employee committed the three felonies, according to indictments and records reviewed. Hutto ISD was asked if it ever reconsidered or reexamined the employee’s hiring or application during his tenure. About a year after the employee was hired by Hutto ISD, news reports surfaced that Comal County authorities served a search warrant on the employee’s New Braunfels home. Comal ISD also settled with the construction firm to recoup about $5.9 million in overpayments made to the company for work done with 2008 bond money, according to media reports during the employee’s tenure. Investigators found documents showing the same Round Rock contractor that installed an air conditioning unit for the school district, also installed heating and air-conditioning units at the employee’s home for free. Investigators said they also found a metal school district building that was torn down was rebuilt on the employee’s property. The employee admitted the building located on his property is the same building removed from the Comal ISD facility. Investigators continue to probe any similar illegalities by the Hutto ISD employee, members of the Hutto ISD administration who were involved in his hire, and the construction firm who received the bid to build Norman Elementary School. Some who live in Hutto say other school administrators need to be held accountable for taking a chance with taxpayer money. "They should all be gone," says Richard Sweeney who's lived in Hutto for nearly 25 years. "I always thought that was in different places but I guess it's here now." Shortly after this incident was reported in the media, both Superintendent Killian and Deputy Superintendent Ramos left the district. ^[8]

High School (Grades 9-12)

• Hutto High School (1999)

http://www.greatschools.org/modperl/achievement/tx/3723#taks Hutto High School received a "Recognized" rating for the 2009 TAKS testing

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

• Hutto Middle School (2005) - Elizabeth Anderson - Principal
• Farley Middle School (2008) - Jorge Franco - Principal

Elementary Schools (Grades PK-5)

• Cottonwood Creek Elementary School (2006)
• Hutto Elementary School (1980)
• Nadine Johnson Elementary School (Formerly Hutto Primary) (2003)
• Ray Elementary School (2007)
• Veterans Hill (2008)
• Norman Elementary (2016)