Edcouch-Elsa school board trustees approved Wednesday a severance agreement with Superintendent Gregory Rodriguez and appointed Alda T. Benavides interim superintendent for the district.
The board voted unanimously on both items.
Trustee Robert Schmalzried said parting ways with Rodriguez was in the “best interest” of the district.
Benavides served 13 years as superintendent of La Joya ISD and is a current board trustee of that district.
“We are excited to have Dr. Benavides join our team,” EEISD Board President Rolando Lozano wrote in a statement. “Her experience and dedication to education will be invaluable as we work to provide the best possible education for our students.”
Benavides, a career educator, told The Monitor Thursday that she felt called to take the post because of her experience.
“I have the experience and background to be able to help a hardworking community that has always demonstrated so much pride in everything that they do,” she said. “When they asked me I just felt that I needed to share my knowledge and experience and help continue to move this district forward.”
Benavides, who thanked trustees for choosing her, said she intends to approach the new gig with high standards and an open ear.
“I’m the type that I believe in empowering people; and I believe that everyone has a job to do and we’ve all got to do it,” she said. “And we’ve got to hold people accountable for doing their job. So I want to give everyone the opportunity to demonstrate that they can do their job and they’re committed to doing their job well.”
It’s not clear what precisely precipitated the severance but Rodriguez, a San Antonio native, has served as the district’s superintendent since September of 2020, sometimes finding himself at odds with members of the board and members of the community.
Last Wednesday, the board discussed Rodriguez’s evaluation and contract behind closed doors, voting to direct legal counsel to act as discussed in closed session.
Rodriguez did not respond to a request for comment on his potential ouster Tuesday.
Rodriguez has faced an often difficult 2 1/2 years at the district’s helm.
In the summer of 2021 he was confronted with a small protest of community members disagreeing with his decision to reassign several school administrators.
The district currently has faced at least two lawsuits related to personnel changes during Rodriguez’s tenure.
The superintendent also faced wavering board support last year.
In June, two trustees filed a temporary restraining order that delayed action on Rodriguez’s contract, alleging the district had failed to comply with the Texas Open Meetings act and requesting a climate survey of personnel on Rodriguez’s performance.
Finally, a $26 million bond package last May failed to pass voters’ approval and the district earned an F on its 2021-22 state financial ranking, a low mark Rodriguez attributed to the EEISD’s audit being late.
