The Mercedes school board named Maria J. Chavez the district’s interim superintendent Tuesday following the departure of Richard Rivera earlier this month.
Most recently serving as superintendent of Santa Maria ISD for a little over six years, Chavez is also a former Mercedes ISD administrator and has a resume that includes jobs at other districts and universities.
Chavez has been involved to a lesser extent in education since her retirement from Santa Maria ISD in the summer of 2018 and will be moving back to Mercedes to take the interim position.
“After you rest for a while, you realize that you just needed a good rest,” she said.
The board is slated to finalize Chavez’s contract next week and she expects to start then.
“Honored and humbled to return and serve the community of Mercedes,” she said.
Chavez’s appointment follows the sudden resignation of Rivera, the previous interim superintendent, after the board voted 4-3 against naming him to the permanent role.
Rivera interpreted that decision as a vote of no confidence and was named superintendent of Weslaco ISD shortly before his resignation became effective. Chavez declined to say whether she applied for the permanent position of superintendent earlier this year or whether she hopes to attain that position eventually.
“At this point I’m gonna stay focused on the interim assignment,” she said.
Naming Chavez interim did not prove to be a unanimous decision for the board. Two freshman trustees — Marcos J. Garcia IV and Orlando Rodriguez — voted against doing so.
Garcia and Rodriguez asked for the board to consider naming a lone finalist for permanent superintendent in December. Both also voted — unsuccessfully — to make Rivera that finalist earlier this month.
It’s not clear whether the board will immediately launch another search for a permanent superintendent. The board had suspended its search in August and Rivera signed a contract to remain interim for two years.
When trustees resumed the search in November, they did so with notably little fanfare.
Board President Oscar Hernandez said Tuesday that once again moving toward naming a lone finalist for the permanent position would require board action. Hernandez said he feels the district will presently be in good hands with Chavez as interim.
“She’s a stellar candidate and she was selected through a thorough process. We looked at her qualifications, and she has a very good proven track record and I think it’s a good fit as interim superintendent,” he said.
The Mercedes ISD board has been frequently divided over the past two years. That’s been but one of a variety of problems the district’s faced, which include the arrest of its former superintendent, a succession of safety scandals and significant financial strains.
Clear communication between the district and the community has been an issue this year. The majority of the board and former superintendent Carolyn Mendiola were sometimes out of step about major projects toward the end of her tenure, leaving question marks around the district’s direction.
Rivera’s entrance as interim in June appeared to bring some stability and cohesion to the district’s leadership, with a focus on reforms involving safety and finances.
Friction between Rivera and the board was largely absent until this month’s vote to not name him lone finalist for superintendent and his abrupt departure.
Chavez says she’ll address challenges in the district with a focus on smoothing out operations.
“I think the message to the community is that every single one of our students deserves a quality education in a safe learning environment,” she said. “And it’s a great community, we have a great team of individuals, and we need to revisit policy, procedures and safety procedures at every campus to ensure that there’s timely communication — and that we have systems in place to allow for that communication in a timely manner.”
