AFFINITY REALTY JOINS CLASSIC CHEVROLET IN SPONSORING THE The Exchange Club of Sugar Land’s 35th Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022, FROM 5:30 PM TO 9 PM AT FLUOR CORPORATION CAFETERIA, 1 FLUOR DANIEL DRIVE, SUGAR LAND. ON
Dinner and raffle tickets are available online at
www.ecsl.org or from Lori Bisewski at 281-799-7084.
Memorial Hermann relaxes COVID restrictions – Page 2 Extend Fence Life
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 47 • No. 35 • $1.00
Trustee: Two superintendent contracts source of investigation By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
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Missouri City hires firm to investigate city manager By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Missouri City’s municipal government has hired a law firm to investigate allegations surrounding new City Manager Charles “Tink” Jackson, who was placed on administrative leave about three months into his tenure.. The city council met last week in an unrecorded special council meeting to authorize hir ing Austinb a s e d D e D e Church & Associates to handle the invest igat ion, Jackson according to Tara Crain, spokesperson for the city. Crain did not respond to a follow-up phone call seeking more information about the cost of the investigation or more details about the allegations surrounding Jackson. Attendees at last week’s early morning meeting told the Fort Bend Star that the council held no discussion outside of executive session other than the vote on the law firm. Members of council have declined to comment on the matter, saying they don’t comment on personnel matters. The firm describes itself as a team of experts that can provide training and videos, investigations of complaints, executive coaching, climate surveys, affirmative action plans and Title IX guidance, among other services, according to its website. Jackson has been on paid administrative leave with the city ever since the council emerged early April 5, after spending more than three hours in closed executive session, and opted to place Jackson on leave, pending an
SEE JACKSON PAGE 9
An investigation into Stafford MSD Superintendent Robert Bostic’s contract will determine which of two documents is valid, school board vice president Greg Holsapple told the Fort Bend Star last week, more than a month after the board of trustees voted to hire a law firm to investigate. Trustees have not received any updates
about the investigation, but are eager to hear something soon so the district can move forward, Holsapple said. “This is not a big deal, more of a nuisance,” Holsapple said. “In my personal opinion, I voted against this investigation. The reason is that it’s going to cost a lot of money. We haven’t gotten a bill for it yet, but I honestly think this could have been worked out personally. But some on the board wanted the investigation.”
Holsapple’s comments about the investigation are the first public words to the Star about the matter since trustees in a 5-1 vote hired Austinbased Sara Leon & Associates, PLLC to
investigate the superintendent’s contract and a Level 3 grievance filed by the CFO. Stafford MSD officials in the weeks since that vote have been tight-lipped about the matter. District spokes-
person Gracie Martinez last week referred all questions about the matter to the board of trustees. And the district is fighting the public release of documents connected to the investigation. In response to an open records request submitted by the Fort Bend Star, the district’s legal representatives filed an appeal to the Texas Attorney General’s Of-
SEE SMSD PAGE 9
An unforgettable life
New FBISD elementary school to bear name of late student By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County residents and leaders in the days since the school district announced its 54th elementary school would be named after Alyssa Ferguson shared remembrances that wouldn’t be out of place discussing famous figures from the county’s past. But whereas many of the district’s other schools are named after former board members, educators or famous county figures, Alyssa Ferguson Elementary School’s namesake is a former student who left her mark on the district before her untimely death in 2018 from cancer. “As a committee, we felt Alyssa’s life provides a great example to our students on how they can utilize the profile-of-a-graduate attributes in serving as compassionate citizens and servant leaders,” FBISD board President Dave Rosenthal said. The board of trustees recently approved the school’s name at a board meeting. Alyssa Ferguson Elementary School is set to open in the fall of 2023 at 13000 Heri-
Pictured is Alyssa Ferguson, a Sienna resident who died in 2017 at the age of 15. Fort Bend ISD has decided to name its newest elementary school after her. (Contributed photo)
tage Park Drive in Missouri City, near the Sienna neighborhood that Ferguson called home during her lifetime. Ferguson, who died at age 15, also impressed scores of Fort Bend
See related column on .................. PAGE 3
County leaders and residents when she opted to use her Make-A-Wish to help build a well for a village in
SEE FERGUSON PAGE 9
Stafford boys, Ridge Point girls fall short at state tourney By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The inaugural trips to the state soccer tournament for two local high school teams ended in heartbreak late last week. Stafford’s boys and Ridge Point’s girls both fell short of a championship, with each team losing in the state semifinal matches of their respective classifications to bring historic seasons to a close for both programs. The Spartans’ boys’ team
saw its season end with a 71 loss to Boerne in the Class 4A semifinal on Wednesday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown. Aron Maldonado scored the lone goal in the match for Stafford, which finished the best season in school history with a 20-64 record and the program’s fifth district championship over the last seven seasons. It was the deepest playoff run in program history. This season was the fourth time in head coach Ruben Perez’s nine seasons that Stafford had reached the regional
tournament, but the first state trip for the program. “We accomplished some goals that we had set earlier in the season,” Perez said. “We wanted to win (the) district, navigate through the playoffs, then break through the regional tournament. ...I told them at the end of the game that they’re going to look back and see all the great things that happened through the season.” Stafford will lose 15 seniors
SEE SOCCER PAGE 9
Stafford’s Justin Zenteno attempts to control the ball during an April 1 playoff match against Houston Scarborough. The Spartans fell to Boerne in the Class 4A state semifinals last week. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)
JERRY FLOWERS
Real Estate Agent, MBA, CNE, ABE Army Veteran (RET) • 832-702-5241 Jerry@dreamhomesbyjerry.com
4500 Highway 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478