Mineral Wells Area News

Doug Jefferson has been at the helm of Community Christian School since 2008, but in a message to staff at Mineral Wells Area News, he stated that this will be his last year at the private school.

“Yesterday afternoon my wife and I announced that this will be our last year at CCS.  We are moving onto another school,” stated Jefferson.

The message indicated Jefferson is currently a candidate at four other out-of-state Christian schools and unsure where he and his family will end up, but says he is fully committed to CCS through the rest of the 2024-2025 school year.

“We are very excited to go and trust God with our future.  CCS is in a great place and will do well,” he stated. “We speak blessings over Mineral Wells.  We love MW and CCS!  We are excited about God’s plans for both.”

The future of the privately funded Christian School has been a point of discussion after the sudden passing of the school’s founder, Kirk Horton earlier this year, as well as a real estate deal between the school and Weatherford College came under scrutiny after media reports from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune questioned the legality of the transaction.

According to the ProPublica article, in November 2022, the WC Board of Directors voted unanimously to give a 38-acre property to Community Christian School. The property was valued at more than $2 million, according to the county’s appraisal district.

The article states, “Legal experts say the donation appears to have violated multiple state and federal laws, including a provision in the Texas Constitution that prohibits political subdivisions, including public junior colleges, from granting anything of value to aid an individual, association or corporation without return benefit.”

Weatherford College’s attorney Jay Rutherford told ProPublica that no laws were violated and there were no complaints about the transaction filed in the state’s Attorney General office.

In September of 2023, CCS announced their intention to move their campus to the WC donated facilities, which are located inside the old Fort Walters industrial park area outside of the city limits, and placed their current school buildings at 2501 Garrett Morris Parkway in Mineral Wells up for sale for $1.4 million.

Community Christian School has not moved into the donated facilities, but for several years has utilized the building to host One-Act Play theatrical competitions for their students. Jefferson said they have been fundraising to earn the $1.2 million needed to refurbish the facility, but have not reached the goal at this time.

Jefferson is a native of Mineral Wells and returned to the community in 2005 when he became a teacher at CCS and then three years later became the top administrator.

“We speak blessings over Mineral Wells.  We love MW and CCS!  We are excited about God’s plans for both,” stated Jefferson in his statement to MWAN.