BY TONY VINDELL
Raymondville Chronicle
Sticking to their political campaign pledge of bringing change to the Raymondville school district, the board of trustees voted Monday to fire its legal counsel and to limit the superintendent’s power when it comes to firing and hiring contract and noncontractual employees.
By three votes in favor, two against and two abstentions, the board, now predominantly made up of new members working in unity, ousted the law firm of Welch, Anderson, Gallegos, Green and Treviño.
Trustees Jessica Cantu, Lupe Ruiz and Ram Ramirez voted for the motion, while trustees Johnny Karseno and Apolinar Gonzales voted against it.
Trustees Mario Tijerina and Javier “Rollie” Longoria abstained.
Without giving a reason for their decision after being asked by board members Karseno and Gonzales why the item was on the agenda, Cantu simply replied, saying the time is ripe for change and that they are moving in the right direction.
“But why?” Karseno and Gonzales repeatedly asked. “Are you making changes for the sake of changes.”
Ruiz, who is the board president, said only “we are open for discussion.”
He did not answer the question posed by the two board members, though.
Karseno said what the board is doing isn’t in the best interest of the district, and warned of the consequences they will pay by hiring a new legal counsel.
“We have a couple of lawsuits pending,” he said. “This is going to cost the district tens of thousands of dollars more.”
Karseno and Gonzales asked the reason for firing the Weslaco-based firm.
“They have been doing a great job,” Karseno said. “This firm specializes in school issues and I hope you get another that does the same.”
The board voted 7-0 to hire another firm after they review potential applicants, but for the time being the board has no legal counsel until a new firm comes on board.
In another action, the board voted to strip Johnny I. Pineda, the district’s superintendent of his power to hire and fire district employees.
Although Pineda will make recommendations on who to hire or fire, it’s now up to the board to make a final decision.
Rodriguez said that will open the room for all “the compadres and comadres” to try to work for the district.
The four new board members, Cantu, Ruiz, Longoria and Ram Ramirez, voted in favor, while Karseno and Gonzales voted against.
Tijerina abstained.
Mike Saldaña, a lawyer working for the ousted firm, reminded the board that nepotism laws apply to them.
He also thanked the board for the five years his company provided legal counsel and said not to hesitate to call them back if needed.
The board president and Ramirez, briefly interviewed after the meeting, said Monday's action was one of a number of changes they intend to make with the school district.
The firm they ousted has been working for the district for the last five years on a retainer fee.
The firm has been charging a fee of about $4,000 a month on average.
The company employs about 65 attorneys representing school districts all over the state.
5 comments:
Pineda was an interim superintendent at BISD, but never superintendent.
These poor bastards do not what they are doing, have not read or understand their role as board members, much less their policies, they will get in trouble, por pendejos.
Same gatos different shade?
Mission, Texas school board approves $800K security upgrade
BY JACQUELINE ARMENDARIZ
SOURCE: THE MONITOR, MCALLEN, TEXAS
CREATED: JUNE 17, 2013
Money to be used to install more than 380 surveillance cameras
June 17--MISSION -- The contract approved by the Mission school board for hundreds of cameras this past week is the largest chunk of an overall plan to upgrade district security infrastructure.
After a May bidding process, American Surveillance was chosen by the school board Wednesday night. The board approved the purchase of cameras and software from the Brownsville-based company at a price tag of $801,319 to come from the general fund.
The sum, less than the original amount of $848,111.78 first proposed by the company, landed in the middle among the bids submitted by three companies, according to school board documents.
The proposal from American Surveillance lists a total of 384 cameras to be installed inside and outside.
That's just phase two of the Mission school district's plan that officials said they believe is among the foremost in the Rio Grande Valley. The upgrade will likely approach a cost of more than $1 million, they said.
Lucio Mendoza, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said he believes the only other place in the country that a similar security system might be found is the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The discussion to ramp up security infrastructure began four years ago, he said.
"Finally, I think the incident at Sandy Hook is when we took it to the board," he said.
In December, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut shook the nation to its core when a gunman claimed the lives of 26 people.
Mendoza said shortly after the start of this coming school year, 60 percent to 70 percent of the cameras should be installed at a remaining 20 or so campuses. The board has also authorized the creation of a command center manned by technicians who will monitor the cameras.
In March, the district had already invested about $360,000 in camera systems, according to Monitor archives. Other items in phase two include $69,000 in projected costs for rolling electric gates, about $87,000 for wireless panic buttons and $180,000 for magnetic locks to automatically close doors to buildings, according to Monitor archives.
Mendoza said the district is exploring the placement of the panic buttons in classrooms and security footage DVR recorders have also been replaced.
"They are at the point where they're basically dying," he said of the recording equipment.
Since March, every classroom is locked from the outside at all times per district policy. Part of the focus is to limit movement and control campus access, Mendoza said, funneling all traffic to the front office of a campus.
With the Mission school district's location on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mendoza and district spokesman Craig Verley acknowledged law enforcement works with the entities to ensure student safety.
The officials said discussion of the district's security upgrades came with input from the local fire and police departments. Verley said local and state law enforcement usually promptly notifies the district if they see a situation that might warrant a lockdown developing.
"We learn from each and every incident," Verley said.
Mendoza said the security upgrade may include a phase three.
When asked whether the public has expressed any concerns about privacy, Mendoza said only a selected group of employees will have access to the security footage. Mendoza said even he is not included in that group.
"We're not doing this just to please anybody," Mendoza said. "We're doing this to try and ensure the safety of their children."
jarmendariz@themonitor.com
Copyright 2013 - The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
pineda is a mean mf and thinks and walks around like a prima donna, at RISD, no one likes him cuz he is an asshole deluxe. maybe johhny its time to retire cool arrow.
Is anybody paying attention to what is going on at Donna ISD. Guys Acevedo worked herd too and cost the district a $1.2 million dollar settlement. Plus attorney fees. (Andres Martinez vs. Donna ISD) Now we have a felon as an attorney. 3 lawsuits in federal court, that the attorney cannot defend. The board has hired 72 people at a cost of over 1 million plus. What a mess!!
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