THE HOGS LINE UP AT BISD FEEDING TROUGH

By Juan Montoya
The ink wasn't dry on the Brownsville Independent School District meeting agenda when administrators rushed through make the first payment to financial consultant Lorenzo Sanchez hired to assist CFO Lucio Mendoza to figure out a Human Resource compensation schedule.
Sanchez was CFO of the BISD some eight years ago and was hired as a financial consultant by Johnny Pineda, Raymondville ISD superintendent after new board members fired him there.
Both are old pals of new trustee Joe Rodriguez. It is rumored that Rodriguez would not object to having Pineda back to the BISD.
Since BISD requires board approval for any payments over $25,000, we have been told that the administration cut a check for Sanchez for $24,999 to avoid having to go before the board.
Coming on the heels of Mendoza unilaterally renewing the district's  $3.3 million property, windstorm, hail, boiler machinery insurance policies even though he had been instructed by the board to rebid and to bring them back a different recommendation, this could be a sign of things to come.
Mendoza justified renewing the contracts saying that the policies were about to lapse and that it was their "fiduciary responsibility" to protect the district.

Under government rules, only contracts $25,000 and under may be renewed without soliciting bids. Contracts greater than $25,000 must go through the competitive bidding process.
We understand that the issue of the renewed insurance will reappear on the next BISD meeting. With Minerva Peña now board president, the issue may continue to plague the trustees for a few meetings longer.