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McALLEN — With some dissent, school board trustees here voted Monday to extend the timeline to talk about directives for the district’s superintendent and did not discuss a draft resolution of those directives that had been prepared for them.
The board made a resolution last month ordering those six directives — which include policy review, a human resources audit and discussion on open records practices — at least in part as a response to a scandal in the district’s communications department that became public earlier this year.
Those directives came with a 45-day deadline, which would have been May 25. Monday’s vote extends the deadline well into the summer, 45 days after new trustees are sworn-in on Wednesday.
Trustee Sam Saldivar, who moved to extend the timeline and adjourn without discussing the draft, said he based the decision on the outcome of last Saturday’s elections.
Two trustees choosing not to defend their seats and two trustees losing to challengers means after next week the board will see a majority of freshman members.
“There’s a real possibility that the new board majority — not even counting the three of us sitting here — will either add to it, modify it, change it,” Saldivar said. “Do exactly what was just mentioned — rescind that one and make their own with their own very specific directions as to how they wish the district to proceed to address the areas of significant concern and deficiencies that have been identified.”
Board President Tony Forina and Trustee Marco Suarez, both of whom came up short in the election, had some concerns.
Suarez said he felt sitting trustees had an obligation to at least hear the draft.
“So I think that the board members that voted on the resolution should at the very least listen to the draft form and then let the new board come and do whatever changes they want to do,” he said. “That’s my opinion — but we could sit around for 45 minutes and do nothing.”
The brief discussion occurred in a workshop an hour before the board’s regular meeting Monday.
Forina said the district’s administrators worked hard to get a draft ready and noted some trustees left work early to attend the meeting.
“I apologize for the inconvenience to administration,” he said as the meeting closed.
The board was sent copies of the draft, though it wasn’t clear that they’d all reviewed it.
Trustee Danny Vela said he too would have liked to have heard the draft.
Saldivar, however, moved to adjourn, saying he didn’t think hearing the draft without discussion was proper.
“If we’re gonna hear something for the public to hear, they’re gonna want to hear what we have to say about it,” he said. “And I would be very hesitant to say what I think is pertinent to the points that were included by the administration, because I take exception to much of it and I’d rather do that knowing whether the board that’s actually gonna act upon it receives it at that time and see if they include it or not.”
