The Mercedes school board on Thursday will interview candidates for superintendent and discuss naming a lone finalist for the post.
The move comes just four months after suspending its search for a permanent superintendent and signing a two-year contract with interim Superintendent Richard Rivera.
It’s not entirely clear why the board opted for the change in course, although Rivera does not seem to have faced an apparent loss in board support and is an applicant for the permanent gig.
Rivera joined the district in June after former superintendent Carolyn Mendiola’s suspension following her arrest on a charge of interference with public duties for allegedly interfering with an investigation into an inappropriate relationship between a high school teacher and a student.
She has denied those criminal charges through an attorney.
In August, when the board voted to ink its long term interim contract with Rivera, Mendiola remained on leave.
As of mid-October, Mendiola was no longer employed by the district. It’s not clear whether she resigned or was terminated, although her exit does not appear to be amicable.
The district began advertising for the position of superintendent in November. That listing closed to applicants last week.
Rivera has mostly focused on addressing issues with safety and finances in the district. Problems regarding those topics reached scandalous proportions over the past year, and trustees have generally been receptive to Rivera’s reform efforts.
Board President Oscar Hernandez largely declined to comment on the district’s search for a permanent superintendent, describing the matter as a personnel issue while referring questions to Rivera and district attorney Tony Torres. Hernandez did repeatedly say that the board is doing its “duty.”
“I assure you…we’re doing the right thing,” he said. “We really like that. The community has trusted the board, they trusted the new board members. They trust the situation that we’re in. We’re not gonna jeopardize the positive progress we’ve done so far.”
Rivera said he wasn’t privy to the board’s discussions on the post and directed questions to Hernandez or Torres. A Mercedes native and veteran superintendent in other districts, he’s often characterized returning to Mercedes as an opportunity to give back to his hometown.
Rivera added that if the board opts for replacing him, he won’t pursue any sort of contract buyout.
“I’m not gonna do anything. If they want someone else, I’ll just leave,” he said. “Mercedes had some financial issues, and I’m not gonna do that.”
Attempts to reach Torres for clarity on the district’s superintendent search failed.
The most significant question mark in the equation is a significant change in the board’s composition.
The November elections saw three newcomers voted onto the board and two of those freshmen trustees — Marcos J. Garcia IV and Orlando Rodriguez — asked for naming a lone finalist for the permanent superintendent post to be put on Thursday’s agenda.
Garcia declined to comment, describing the matter as a personnel issue.
Rodriguez was also reluctant to comment, but characterized the agenda item as motivated by due diligence.
“This involves the biggest hire we can make as a board and we just want to make sure it’s done right,” he said, referring to the selection process.
Rodriguez declined to say how he feels about Rivera, but didn’t report any significant concern with the district’s current trajectory.
“I can say that I’m happy with the direction that the district is moving, that’s about as much as I can say right now,” he said.
