RISD contract allegations aired at school board meeting

RAYMONDVILLE — Allegations of irregularities in contracts with a financial consultant hired by school Superintendent Johnny L. Piñeda were aired Tuesday before the school board.

Local resident Joe Torres said school officials refused to place the issue on the meeting agenda, so he was forced to raise the issue in the meeting’s public forum period, which limited him to a five-minute presentation.

Torres handed each board member copies of information he said he obtained through open records requests that he claimed prove that consultant Lorenzo Sanchez was paid $398 a day since he first started working in 2009, rather than the $360 a day other documents state he was to be paid.

“This first contract has no date, no signatures of board members and there is an increase of $38 a day over what was authorized,” he said.

Although Torres claims school board members were not informed in advance of Piñeda’s plan to hire Sanchez, Piñeda and Sanchez provided documents to the Valley Morning Star on Monday showing the school board was informed.

Sanchez also spoke to the school board for five minutes, defending all transactions he has had with the school district.

Also, he said he has been charging the school district half the rate he normally charges.

With 43 years experience as a teacher, coach and school administrator, as a college dean, with a master of business administration degree and a certified public accountant’s license, he is well qualified for the work he performs, Sanchez said.

“My mandate was to mentor a couple of young accountants you’ve got,” he said. “They’re doing a good job.”

School board members told him his top priority was to get school district finances in the black without laying off employees, he said.

Sanchez said he and Piñeda have been able to balance the district’s budget, keep teachers and employees on staff and obtain funding to build a new middle school.

“I hope to remain your financial consultant,” he said.

Since the matter was only presented in the public forum, school board members could not comment on the matter or take action during the Tuesday meeting, Piñeda said.

Torres said he plans to turn information about Sanchez’s contracts over to the Willacy County district attorney.