MERCEDES — Superintendent Carolyn Mendiola avoided being placed on paid administrative leave Thursday after a successful effort to reorganize board officers.
The board officer changes follow the arrest of Sgt. William G. Harrell Middle School coach David Reyes by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. Reyes, 53, was charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second degree felony.
Rachel Trevino, one of the trustees who called for the reorganization to be put on the agenda, was voted in as board president, replacing Oscar Hernandez.
Trevino’s nomination elicited a loud peal of laughter from the crowd, which prompted Hernandez to threaten to eject audience members for the disruption.
Brian Acosta was voted in as board vice president, replacing Pete Martinez III. Lucy Delgado, the other trustee who originally called for the reorganization, kept her post as board secretary.
Hernandez defended his leadership and the way the district is going, saying the district has made strides and compared his ouster to a military coup.
“We are showing Third World politics,” he said. “We throw everything in front — that’s it, down with the president and here’s with the military. Really? You come in here and you want to talk team of eight? This is shameful.”
Later, after Trevino had replaced him, Hernandez struck a more bipartisan tone — over the trustees’ refusal to speak with the media about issues at the district.
“I applaud each and every one of you for keeping the issues within our family,” he said. “I know it was very difficult with reporters just hounding us and trying to find something, and you know what, we stepped up to the plate…”
The soon-to-be-former board president received a show of support from freshman Trustee Eddie Howell Jr.
Howell said he was one of the trustees who called for a meeting to discuss Mendiola’s possible leave, and he characterized the board reorganization as an effort to punish Hernandez for putting that item on the agenda.
“So I don’t know why you guys are taking it out on the president,” Howell said. “So I just want to put it out there that he did the right thing, he was only doing his job and you guys are putting him under the gun when he was just doing his job.”
Trevino, the new board president, said she called for the reorganization to address what she sees as a lack of collaboration and communication on the board rather than to exact some kind of retaliation.
“I’ll be the first to say that if Ms. Mendiola did something wrong, if any employee did something wrong, then they should be held accountable,” she said.
Trevino also accused people of adding fuel to the fire over controversy at the district. She suggested children may prefer to deal with their issues privately.
“You don’t think it’s embarrassing for them? The way it’s being put out there? I thought we cared about the children,” she said. “That’s not the right way to do it, guys. There’s a way to do everything. We don’t have to be exposing people just because we don’t get what we want, and that’s what this is all about.”
Delgado said she called for the reorganization on the basis of ethics. She read sections of the Texas Association of School Boards’ ethics for guidance, specifically the sections titled “Honor in conduct,” “Trustworthiness in stewardship” and “Integrity of character,” saying she feels those ethical values haven’t been adhered to at the district.
“My message today is simple: I feel that we have not represented Mercedes ISD in its best interests,” she said. “Some actions taken thus far only demonstrate strong personal and political achievements. We have all been in this room and we know what has transpired in the last few months, both in open and closed session. The lack of confidentiality, trust, order and respect during our meetings and outside are affecting the manner in which we can conduct all decisions for our district.”
The effort to place Mendiola on paid administrative leave failed 5-2. Despite asking for the item to be placed on the agenda, Howell ultimately voted against it.
After the meeting, Trevino acknowledged that the district has faced significant challenges recently. She said as board president she hopes to restore the public’s faith in Mercedes ISD through better communication.
“I think we’re going to have a little bit more transparency,” Trevino said after the meeting. “We’re going to be a little more open about certain things. There’s not going to be any hidden agendas. We’re just going to be all around honest about what we do.”
The community’s lack of faith was on display Thursday. The meeting was filled to capacity and a higher than normal police presence was visible on site. The board faced half an hour of often passionate public comments.
Some criticized Mendiola and the district’s handling of claims of abuse against Reyes, while others defended her or expressed concern over losing her so late in the year.
Others talked about Reyes’ arrest, board politics and their concern over the rumor mill surrounding the district.
A common theme through the comments was a lack of trust in the direction the district is going and a call for transparency.
“I have no faith in the school district anymore, and it shouldn’t be that way. Not for me, not for nobody,” Laura Alvarado, a Mercedes resident, said.
Alvarado, who says she’s the parent of one of Reyes’ former students, described the turmoil his arrest caused for her and her daughter.
“For me to have to sit my now-13-year-old daughter down — with special needs, with autism — and ask her if her teacher touched her, that’s so not fair,” she said, visibly emotional. “It’s not fair to her, it’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to any parent that has to tell their child or godchild about that.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct Mendiola’s first name.
