Lake Travis ISD superintendent resigns after misconduct allegations

LAKE TRAVIS, Texas - The Lake Travis ISD school board has accepted the superintendent's resignation after misconduct allegations.

It took nearly three hours for board members to decide in a closed session.

"This decision was made with the best interest of the district in mind," said Erin Archer, the LTISD board president. "The board believes these actions will save time, money, and resources and allow the district to quickly pursue hiring a new superintendent."

Investigation into misconduct allegations

What we know:

According to the Lake Travis ISD school board, in December 2024, a misconduct complaint was made against Superintendent Paul Norton.

Norton was immediately placed on administrative leave while a third party investigated the complaint. 

The district said the complaint did not involve students or district finances.

RELATED: Lake Travis ISD superintendent placed on paid leave pending investigation

On Friday, Feb. 7, the board accepted Norton's voluntary resignation. Norton's resignation and retirement are effective immediately, but he will be paid through the end of the school year. 

While Norton was on paid administrative leave, Pam Sanchez filled in as acting superintendent.

"This decision was made with the best interests of the district in mind. The Board believes these actions will save money, time, and resources and allow the district to quickly pursue hiring a new superintendent," the school board said.

Parents want more answers

What they're saying:

Before the closed meeting, Lake Travis ISD families called on the board to tell them why he was resigning.

"Quite sweeping controversy under the rug and do right by the voters who voted you in and are expecting you to hold our administration accountable," said Susan Harbin, a concerned LTISD resident.

"Accepting a resignation from Superintendent Norton with no transparency sets a dangerous precedent and is a betrayal to your community," said Kathryn Sartor, an LTISD mom.

"My problem with that is that we don’t really know what he did, and there were a lot of accusations throughout the last couple of years open and in board meetings from the public, and so what is it that finally was the last straw," said Jennifer Fleck, an LTISD resident, and former parent. "That’s something that we would just want to know."

What's next:

A recruiting firm will conduct a search for a permanent superintendent.