MISSION — Pleas to save Leo James Leo Elementary fell on deaf ears Thursday as a meeting meant to inform parents about the school’s closure devolved into angry community members hurling criticism at Superintendent Gisela Saenz.
Many students, parents and staff used the meeting as an opportunity to voice a simple request: save our school.
When it became apparent that the district would not negotiate on that front, things got nasty.
Attendees shouted a variety of abuse at Saenz and her staff, criticizing the way the closure is being handled and the district’s inability to avoid it.
The crowd was largely unswayed by assurances about the quality of campuses students will be allowed to transfer to and enrollment data explaining Leo’s demise.
“You come over here and tell us that the deal is done,” Eddie Garcia, grandparent of a Leo student, told them. “We as taxpayers, we deserve better than that. I mean, you know, you’re just coming here and slapping us in the face.
“What you’re trying to do is throw a bone to the dog, so the dog can quit barking. And what you’re going to do is make the dog bark louder.”
Leo, along with Rosendo Benavides Elementary, is being closed at the end of the semester, apparently as part of or in conjunction with a staffing adjustment plan meant to address employment numbers that have failed to keep up with enrollment decreases for over 15 years.
The district’s board of trustees voted to approve that plan last Wednesday after discussing it behind closed doors in executive session.
Saenz confirmed last week that the plan would include layoffs — a number she nudged up from an estimated 120 to 139 Thursday — but declined to comment on potential campus closures at the time.
Thursday’s meeting, parents said, was the first time they’d been given details on the closure. They were far from pleased.
Some parents wondered why their school was the one to get the ax and why it hadn’t been re-zoned to avoid that step. Others worried over whether their children would be able to receive comparable services at their new school next year.
“Leo Elementary — Leo Elementary kids — do an amazing job. We agree. And we want to be able to continue to provide those opportunities for our kids … Because we have good programs in all our schools,” Saenz said.
That last assertion was met by scores of people saying “No.”
Biting remarks about the district’s long-running corruption scandals and shouts calling for the closure of its water park were met with applause from the crowd.
One kid held a sign reading “Get rid of the RATS to save our SCHOOL.”
The audience’s argument seemed to be that Leo and its community were victims of the district’s mismanagement.
“It’s all about the money for you guys. It’s not about the kids,” someone in the audience shouted at Saenz.
The meeting ended toward the two-hour mark, with Saenz standing in front of a crowd of parents who took turns yelling at her and about 20 kids holding signs and chanting in her direction.
She declined to speak with The Monitor after the meeting, and has declined to speak with the newspaper all week.
Saenz faced the flak largely alone: none of the district’s trustees attended the meeting.
Board President Alex Cantu has also not responded to texts or phone calls from The Monitor this week.
It’s unclear whether the district faced similar levels of criticism for its decision to close Benavides. A parent meeting on that closure was slated to be held Wednesday.
Why fight so hard for Leo?
Parents Thursday described it as a close-knit, effective campus that draws in students from other areas and has recovered some — but apparently not enough — enrollment recently. The campus, they said, is something that works in a district where an awful lot seems to be going wrong.
“This really sucks, honestly,” said Idy Garza, a parent of two students at the school and herself a La Joya ISD graduate. “As a parent, my kids are very comfortable here. They love it here. The administration here is amazing. It’s pretty much like a tight family, and it just feels like they’re splitting our family apart. And the head honchos, it seems like they don’t care, and that just really stings for us.”
At one point a young girl ran up to Leo Principal Karey Villarreal, hugging her legs. Villarreal leaned down to straighten her coat and asked the girl about her mother.
Parents were displeased to be told questions after the meeting could be directed to Villarreal.
Administration told parents that Leo’s closure had been considered for some time, though parents said they were unaware.
Some learned when the school notified them about Thursday’s meeting. Others heard through the rumor mill.
“A friend told me that they saw it online. That’s how we found out,” Garza said.
Thursday’s speakers were originally only going to speak in Spanish. A parent complained after the presentation, and Assistant Superintendent Martin Muñoz reset his PowerPoint and reiterated the whole thing in English.
That hardly appeased the crowd, many of whom accused the administrators of using the repeat presentation as an opportunity to duck questions.
The district was not eager for the wider public to see what happened Thursday.
La Joya ISD Police Chief Raul Gonzalez told The Monitor to refrain from taking pictures of or recording the meeting on two occasions.
The first time he said he was concerned over parents being upset over being photographed. The second time Gonzalez said The Monitor could not record because other media had not been allowed into the meeting.
It’s not clear why media wasn’t allowed in or why The Monitor was allowed to stay.
Non-media attendees recorded large portions of the meeting.
After declining to comment Thursday, Saenz said that district spokesperson Blanca Cantu would contact The Monitor to address questions.
Cantu, who has not responded to emails seeking details on the closures, did not contact The Monitor by press time Friday.
