Open Letter Sent to Board Members Asking for Investigation

A letter was sent to the members of the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees on Monday, December 8, 2008, in which details of alledged discrimination on the part of the Director of Facilities, Michael Johnson and Rhonda McWilliams, the head of Human Resource, in the hiring of a new Support Manager. The letter also details that the candidate hired by Mr. Johnson did not meet the minimum educaational qualifications set forth by FBISD, among other irregularities. Even though the allegations set forth in the letter to the board members are very disturbing, there has not been any sort of response on the part of FBISD to address the issues brought forth. The key allegations against Mr. Johnson and Ms. McWilliams are listed below.

• The position of Support Manager was a newly created position within FBISD, even though FBISD is in a deficit state and trying to reduce expenditure.
• The new position of Support Manager listed as one of it's key requirements a minimum of a Bachelors Degree in order to qualify for an interview. Without meeting the minimum requirements, no person would be allowed to interview for the job.
• The candidate selected for the position of Support Manager did not meet the minimum educational requirements set forth by FBISD.
• There were two African American applicants that were interviewed for the position of Support Manager, both of whom met the educational requirements. In fact, one of the African American applicants has an MBA, while the other black applicant has a Bachelors Degree and currently works in the Facilities Department.
• Mr. Johnson made the selection of an unqualified candidate for the Support Manager alone, and his recommendation of an unqualified candidate was approved by Rhoda McWilliams.
• The letter sent to the Board of Trustees detailed the possibility that Mr. Johnson created two new positions, one being the Support Manager and another being a secretary position for himself, to fill with his personal friends. Nevermind that the applicants awarded these new positions may not have had the proper qualifications.
• There is currently an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation being conducted on Mr. Johnson and FBISD to whether there is evidence of racial discrimination regarding the selection process of the new Support Manager. The findings of the EEOC investigation could very well indicate severe violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• To date, there has been no sort of response by the board members of FBISD regarding the severe allegations.