The reassignment of longtime Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Early College High School Principal Alejandro Elias earlier this month has become a point of contention at the school district.
Elias, who served as principal at the school for eight years, was named the district’s director of strategy and planning, according to a message sent to district staff. He said he’s filed a grievance related to that reassignment.
A digital petition advocating for Elias’ transfer back to his former post that was penned by a board trustee’s son calls for the administrators return to the high school and has garnered over 1,500 signatures.
A source with knowledge of the matter who spoke on background told The Monitor that the reassignment was related to potential financial irregularities and insubordination.
Elias declined to comment extensively on the disagreement, saying he’d rather see what comes out of the grievance. He did deny any insinuations of financial irregularities or insubordination.
“I have real good accolades and they were trying to give me a promotion that I did not accept, because it wasn’t what I wanted. I never applied for it. To me it’s more of political retaliation,” he said, providing The Monitor with a list of those accolades.
The district communication, provided to The Monitor by Elias, says the district will name a new principal in the next few weeks.
“Principal Dr. Alejandro Elias will be taking on a new assignment, serving as the new PSJA ISD Director of Strategy & Planning,” the message stated. “Dr. Elias has been in education for the last 17 years and has served as the principal at the campus for the last eight years. Under his leadership, PSJA ECHS has accomplished numerous accolades, most recently being ranked among the top pandemic-resilient high schools.”
A fair sum of people seem to feel that Elias’ talents are better spent at Early College High School. Comments on the petition, authored by Oscar Javier Gutierrez II, largely tout the administrator’s virtues and criticize the district’s leadership.
Gutierrez is the son of Cynthia Gutierrez, one trustee in a vocal two-part minority on the PSJA board. Trustee Gutierrez declined to comment on the record about Elias’ reassignment or the petition.
The younger Gutierrez, who says he’s a product of the PSJA school system, criticized district leadership and said he wants Elias’ supporters to attend board meetings. He hopes the former principal will be reinstated.
“He’s gentle but firm,” Gutierrez said. “He’s just the right leader for the high school.”
Ricardo Pedraza, the PSJA Board’s president, said he couldn’t say much about the decision to move Elias, but voiced his confidence in Superintendent Jorge Arredondo.
“There are reasons why he got moved,” Pedraza said.
