LIVE OAK, Texas – A San Antonio resident is asking a judge whether a recent special Judson Independent School District board meeting was legal.
The plaintiff, Lisa Butler, is “highly interested in the affairs of the Judson Independent School District, including its Board of Trustees,” according to a temporary restraining order (TRO) filed Jan. 23.
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That’s about two weeks after a special Judson ISD board meeting was held to consider terminating Superintendent Milton “Rob” Fields III.
In past news articles, Butler has been quoted as a parent of a former student and an alumna of the district. She seeks a temporary restraining order and injunction to reverse the superintendent’s removal and to require the board to comply with state laws for future meetings.
Butler is asking the court to prevent Ryan from calling further meetings without proper notice and to restrain any self-dealing or improper actions by Ryan as board president.
The case is pending in Bexar County’s 166th District Court.
Butler alleges in the filing that the Jan. 10 special meeting was “scheduled without any compliance with school board policy or procedure,” and was called without proper notice or agenda in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act.
The agenda must be submitted on the Monday prior to the meeting, according to the filing, or by noon at least three days before any special meeting. The TRO also alleges the agenda didn’t provide sufficient detail about the meeting’s subject matter.
“No subject matter of the proposed Resolution is identified other than the extremely broad and vague ‘removal of the superintendent,’” the lawsuit states.
Butler’s petition alleges that board president Monica Ryan called the meeting despite objections from other board members and failed to provide the superintendent or other members with a copy of the agenda.
The suit also alleges that Ryan and the board violated open meetings laws by conducting a vote without proper notice.
In the court documents, Butler accuses Ryan of “outright racist ridicule” against Fields, who is Black, citing condescending remarks.
Additionally, the filing states Ryan “is engaging in official oppression and self dealing as a board member in order to obtain benefits for herself and her family,” citing a Spanish class Ryan allegedly forced teachers to offer her daughter that was not previously offered at the school.
In a statement sent to KSAT, Ryan called the lawsuit “disappointing.”
“It is so disappointing to see that someone who does not even live in our district can use the court system to take time, money, and attention away from our students for something so frivolous,” Ryan said. “Last week, our attorneys already provided to the court a complete response and full documentation to show that every claim in this filing is documented to have no merit.”
“I know that despite these unnecessary distractions, we remain committed to moving our district forward and maintaining focus on setting the conditions that will result in the best academic outcomes for our students,” Ryan said.
Judson ISD board places Fields on administrative leave; Previous calls for Fields’ removal
During the Jan. 10 special board meeting, the board rescinded a vote that would have relieved Fields of his duties.
After meeting in open session, the motion to place Fields on administrative leave passed by a 6-1 vote. Once the vote was rescinded, the board voted to hire and engage legal counsel, proceeding “as discussed in closed session.”
The board has placed an agenda item regarding Fields’ employment at least three times in the last year, according to an independent KSAT review of previous meeting agendas.
The agenda item on the Jan. 10 meeting was phrased similarly to an agenda item referencing the superintendent for meetings on June 27, 2025, and Dec. 9, 2025.
The board took no action following the June 27 or Dec. 9 meetings regarding Fields’ employment.
Fields was named superintendent of the district on May 11, 2023, according to the district. The district extended Fields’ contract to June 2028 during a regular board meeting on Oct. 17, 2024.
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