The Mercedes school board approved an interim agreement Tuesday with Maria J. Chavez and resumed its search for a permanent superintendent.
The board named Chavez interim superintendent in December following the abrupt departure of previous interim Richard Rivera, who resigned after the board voted against naming him lone finalist for the permanent position.
Rivera has since taken the job as the interim superintendent for the Weslaco school district.
Chavez declined to say last month whether she hopes to attain the permanent position or whether she applied for it in the fall.
The board discussed both the interim agreement and hiring a permanent superintendent behind closed doors in executive session, and did not elaborate in public during the meeting.
Board President Oscar Hernandez said after the meeting that in addition to approving the agreement with Chavez, the board voted to resume its search for a permanent superintendent, though he declined to say whether the district will hire a firm to conduct that search.
“I hope that we find a great fit. We have some outstanding administrators. Our enrollment is up and up, finances are in good shape,” he said.
Chavez will be the third leader of the district in less than a year.
In June, the board placed former superintendent Carolyn Mendiola on leave after her arrest on charges she denies. The board named Rivera interim and suspended its search for a permanent superintendent in August before resuming a “confidential” search in November.
Mercedes ISD attorney Tony Torres has almost entirely ignored questions about the district and did not respond to comments on Tuesday’s meeting.
Hernandez declined to say when he hopes for the board to name a lone finalist for permanent superintendent.
“We don’t want to get in a rush. We want to get the best fit for our school district,” he said.
Mercedes ISD’s superintendent drama follows significant turmoil at the district, which included the arrest of several people working for the district, infrastructure issues and financial struggles.
