RAYMONDVILLE — The school board will let residents speak out about the proposed hiring of Seguin’s former superintendent for the district’s top job.
A June 22 meeting will allow residents to discuss with board members the selection of Stetson Roane as the finalist for the job.
Earlier this week, residents requested an “open forum” to discuss their concerns with board members who voted 5-2 to select Roane as the finalist on June 6.
State policy gives school boards 21 days from the date they select their finalists to hire superintendents.
Here, board members are scheduled to vote on Roane’s hiring on June 28.
But school boards can continue to extend the 21-day period, Lauren Callahan, a spokeswoman with the Texas Education Agency in Austin, said yesterday in a statement.
The June 22 meeting will give residents a chance to “have a dialogue, ask more questions,” school board President John Solis, who voted against Roane’s selection, said at a board meeting Tuesday.
The board has not set Roane’s salary.
At this week’s meeting, two residents expressed concern Roane faced a sexual harassment claim at the Seguin school district.
Another resident, reading from a letter from Roane’s attorney, said the district “made no adverse finding” against Roane.
At the meeting, resident Aurora Pedraza told board members they selected Roane “amid allegations of sexual harassment.”
“We want more information,” Pedraza said. “We want to discuss this with the board in open forum. We would like your motto to be ‘We do not allow harassment, period.’ Superintendents and teachers have always been considered to be role models. We can’t afford these issues to be swept under the rug. We want to protect children and teachers.”
Resident Cindy Cruz asked board members to reconsider Roane’s selection.
“I, along with others, have done our research and are not pleased with what we’ve found,” Cruz said, referring to news articles about Roane in the Internet.
During his 19-month tenure in Seguin, the district purchased a $1.3 million video scoreboard for its Matador Stadium.
Under Roane, the district attempted to lease local radio station KWED 1580 AM and the newspaper the Seguin Daily News. Meanwhile, critics launched a Facebook page titled Lose the Hat Seguin to push to remove Roane from office.
Cruz said she was concerned about what she called Roane’s “tarnished character and lack of experience.”
“Can our district afford to bring someone who may or may not have pending litigation?” Cruz asked, referring to possible litigation stemming from the sexual harassment claim.
Cruz also said Roane’s tenure at Seguin and his 14 months as superintendent with the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school district did not give him enough time to work to improve students’ standardized test scores.
“I ask you, board members, to please reconsider,” Cruz said. “There’s still time to rescind your offer.”
Resident Urbano Cavazos Jr. read from a letter from Roane’s attorney Tony Conners.
“His former district made no adverse finding against Mr. Roane after concluding its investigation arising out of a sexual harassment complaint,” Cavazos read from Conners’ letter. “His accuser accepted the outcome of Mr. Roane’s settlement.”
Last February, Roane signed a resignation agreement releasing him of any claims regarding acts or events prior to its signing.
The agreement paid Roane $94,500, or half his annual salary of $189,000.
As part of the settlement, the district agreed to provide “neutral” job references while agreeing not to report Roane’s resignation to the Texas Education Agency.
The agreement also led the district to place Roane’s wife Denise, whom the district hired, on paid administrative leave from March 6 to June 30, when she will resign.
“The sexual harassment claim was strongly disputed and does not meet the legal requirements to constitute an actionable claim,” Cavazos said, reading from Conners’ letter.
Conners’ letter also refers to a lawsuit Roane filed to stop the release of “confidential, sensitive information.”
Roane filed the lawsuit in Travis County against the Seguin school district and state Attorney General Ken Paxton after Paxton’s office ruled the district release more details regarding the sexual harassment case against Roane.
“He’s got credibility, respectability,” Cavazos told board members.
Cavazos said Roane helped boast student test scores at Seguin.
“Work with this man as a team,” Cavazos told board members.
Ricardo Guerra, a former Seguin school board member whom Cavazos introduced to board members, said Roane helped two Seguin schools meet state academic standards.
Prior to his job in Seguin, Roane served 14 months as superintendent with the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school district.
In Raymondville, Roane becomes the second finalist for the job after Superintendent Johnny Pineda retired after nearly 10 years in office.
In April, the school board rescinded its appointment of finalist Raul Nuques, a former Zapata superintendent, after the parties failed to reach a contract agreement, then-board President Jessica Ramirez-Cantu said at the time.
The district paid the Texas Association of School Boards $8,000 to conduct the search for Pineda’s replacement.
Pineda, who retired effective Jan. 31, served the longest tenure of any district superintendent since at least 1990.
Hired in 1997, Pineda was making a salary of $146,100 when he retired.
Interim Superintendent Douglas Moore has overseen district operations since Pineda’s retirement.
