Lovejoy ISD chief ousted after ‘inappropriate conduct’ was a master manipulator 

Before he was forced to resign this month for 'inappropriate conduct' with 'adult victims,' the Lovejoy ISD leader was a dominating force.

In the annals of over-the-top Texas school superintendents, ousted Lovejoy ISD Superintendent Ted Moore was one of those atop the heap.

I never saw a district leader who came up with more creative ways to manipulate his audience to bend to his will. He had no shame.

But that's not what cost him his job, where he served as superintendent for more than a decade.

Moore was forced out this month for undisclosed reasons. All we have from district leaders are scattered clues.

School board president Chad Collins issued a statement about "alleged misconduct with staff by the former superintendent."

A district statement referenced "inappropriate conduct" with "adult victims." Victims to what? We don't know. The Watchdog won't speculate.

Before he was forced to resign this month for "inappropriate conduct," longtime Lovejoy ISD Superintendent Ted Moore was a dominating force.
Before he was forced to resign this month for "inappropriate conduct," longtime Lovejoy ISD Superintendent Ted Moore was a dominating force.(2008 File Photo / Staff)

I couldn't reach Moore, but in his resignation statement, he said, "People have always told me that I would know when it was time to retire and now is that time. I continue to have health issues and believe now is the time for me to retire with 42 years of service to public education."

Still, Moore cannot slink off into retirement without a review of his manipulative talents, some of which he shared several years ago at a statewide conference of educators. That caused a stir when word got back to the Lovejoy district.

Big reputation in a small district

In its 102nd year, Lovejoy is a small district with only 4,000 students. It includes the cities of Lucas, Fairview and part of Allen and is known for earning high rankings in state measurements.

Moore, 64, developed a statewide reputation for his leadership. In one of his biographies, he is credited with building secondary education in the district from scratch and leading a "very personalized, caring, child-centered atmosphere that parents call 'the Lovejoy way.'"

But there was another aspect to the Lovejoy way.

Scare tactics in a tax election

School districts wanting to increase their tax rate above a specific allowed amount are required to hold a tax ratification election. Lovejoy held one in 2016, and voters approved the increase. The district's public-awareness campaign for that election is now the subject of an active complaint before the Texas Ethics Commission. A closed hearing in Austin is scheduled next month.

The election was held 14 days after the regular May school/city election. Moore said that was the best available date.

State elections law bans temporary polling places, but in a loophole, special elections are exempt. Moore climbed through the loophole: Lovejoy had a polling place at the high school one day and at an elementary school on another.

Moore sent email blasts to parents reminding them to vote. His principals did the same. The district checked early voting lists every day and knew who did and didn't vote — but not how they voted. (That's legal.)

Districts are forbidden from campaigning for a "yes" vote in these elections. But during the campaign, the superintendent announced in email blasts that a "no" vote would lead to deep budget cuts.

He listed them: Freeze teacher pay. Eliminate all middle school sports except volleyball, basketball, football and track. Charge a "pay to play" fee for after-school sports and fine arts.

Eliminate or reduce bus service. Increase school lunch prices. Increase class sizes from 25 to 30. Lay off teachers. Cut school receptionists.

Great scare tactic. He forgot to mention the zombie apocalypse.

When I asked Moore about this two years ago, he told me, "Lovejoy is a very well-educated and informed community, and I would never disrespect this community by attempting to manipulate our patrons by the use of scare tactics."

His comment was backed by @NorthTexasBlue on Twitter who sent me a message: "Voters aren't as stupid as you make us seem. I know exactly what I voted for and gladly pay the additional taxes, knowing the incredible results Lovejoy ISD produces every year. Say what you will, but Lovejoy doesn't rank among the top every year by accident."

Intolerant to critics

Aside from collecting "yes" voters, Moore was also an expert at thwarting the "no" people.

Several years ago, Moore spoke at the Texas Association of School Boards convention in Houston. Speech title: "Under Siege: Responding to Cyber Terrorists."

He showed in his slides how critics spread their message which shows, he said, no "correlation to the success of the district."

School districts maintain active news/promotion operations. In many school districts, as a counterbalance, it's common for critics to maintain a watchdog-style website. Moore showed his colleagues his chief critic's Web page.

Tactics used, he said, include a website, email, "whisper campaigns, Wikipedia attacks, public information requests."

One slide showed an image depicting the famous shower stabbing scene from the movie Psycho.

"What's the harm?" Moore's slide asked. He answered that critics tie up resources, damage reputations, sow discontent, discourage potential hires and endanger bond elections

His arrogance showed: "Do critics have a point?" he asked. "Even a broken clock is right twice a day," he answered.

"Know your story," he advised. "Have a coherent narrative. Sell your success in sound bites to parents, taxpayers, reporters. ... Provide lots of information. Don't appear to be hiding."

"Encourage foundation members, PTA, etc. to combat rumors they hear and spread the good news."

With all that savvy, it didn't work. In the end, this superintendent crashed and burned. There was no good news to share.

A slide in Superintendent Ted Moore's slide show to state educators.
A slide in Superintendent Ted Moore's slide show to state educators.

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