BISD moves to suspend Gonzales

BROWNSVILLE - Superintendent Hector Gonzales expressed shock Tuesday afternoon after learning Board of Trustees President Rolando Aguilar had posted a special called meeting to have him suspended and investigated.

The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday in the board room of the Brownsville Independent School District, 1900 Price Road.

"It's a personnel matter and we'll deal with it after the meeting" was all that Aguilar would say when contacted at his home Tuesday afternoon.

"I've done absolutely nothing wrong," Gonzales said from Austin, where he got word of the meeting from his secretaries. "Nothing has ever been brought to my attention by board members, either as a group or individually."

Four board members joined Gonzales in the state capital to meet with Rio Grande Valley legislators about school finance and other issues facing the 81st Texas Legislature, which opened Tuesday.

"I think I have done a great job of running this district," the superintendent added, pointing to numerous accolades won by BISD during his tenure. "I have no idea what it is they want, but I have nothing to hide. I thought we put this behind us at last week's meeting."

At a special called meeting Jan. 6, trustees unanimously rejected Gonzales' offer to resign in exchange for a one-year consultant's contract at his current salary. They reached the consensus after being served with a lawsuit to halt alleged attempts by the board to oust Special Services Administrator Art Rendon. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, violation of the Open Meetings Act, libel and slander.

Friday's agenda includes a closed session for "discussion regarding possible investigation and the employment status of the Superintendent, including possibly placing Superintendent on administrative leave and possible appointment of an Interim Superintendent. "

The same language describes an item for discussion and possible action in open session afterward. An additional item in open session concerns "discussion, consideration and possible action to hire legal counsel to represent BISD in pending grievance filed by a District employee (Art Rendon)."

Brownsville attorney Ben Neece, one of the attorneys who filed Rendon's breach of contract lawsuit, said: "They're following proper procedure and we're not opposed to them hiring an attorney in matters involving Mr. Rendon. As for the rest of it, we're clueless right now as to why that item is back on the agenda."

Neece added, "I feel sorry for the superintendent. They're still screwing with him."

Meanwhile, Trustee Dr. Enrique Escobedo, who served as president of the board of trustees that went out of power after the Nov. 4 general election, expressed disappointment with the turn of events.

"Mr. Aguilar might know something that I don't," Escobedo said. "I'm surprised and disappointed that this is resurfacing. ... If Mr. Aguilar has certain information, we should have been informed, but nothing has ever been brought up to merit this type of meeting. I know of nothing that merits this."

In Austin, Catalina Presas-Garcia, the trustee who first complained about an alleged board majority plotting to oust Gonzales, said she is tired of attempts to discharge the superintendent without facts to back the action.

"Here we are trying to take care of the district's business on legislative issues while they're busy tarnishing Mr. Gonzales' reputation," she said.

Garcia, along with trustees Ruben Cortez Jr., Rick Zayas and Minerva Peña accompanied Gonzales to Austin. The board members were notified of Friday's meeting by e-mail late Tuesday afternoon, Garcia said.

"We're up here working with the state legislators and then our school board president doesn't even have the courtesy to call us and let us know," she said.

The alleged board majority includes Aguilar, Cortez, Zayas and Trustee Joe Colunga.

"If we're going to suspend the superintendent, we better have hard facts," Garcia cautioned. "Since the beginning, we've asked for hard facts or grounds - why and what is the reason behind this - and we still haven't gotten the answer.

Suspending Gonzales "while we conduct a witch hunt is wrong," she added. "It's inappropriate. It's uncalled for and it's unethical."