As soon as the new majority on the board of the Brownsville Independent School District took over after dumping president Otis Powers, they hired hatchet woman Esperanza Zendejas to settle their old scores.
They had Zendejas suspend people, move them around, and generally caused turmoil in the district.
Those that were in with the majority moved up the ranks, while those that were seen as obstacles were shunted aside or banished to the Siberias of the BISD.
One of those removed and stuck in administrative limbo is none other than Art Rendon, the former Special Needs director who sued the district in federal court and negotiated a return to work along with former CFO Tony Juarez and superintendent Hector Gonzales.
But as soon as the new majority (Joe Rodriguez, Minerva Peña, Cesar Lopez and Hector Chirinos) hired Zendejas, heads started rolling.
The madness of March swept Rendon from the Transportation Department and the administration placed Hector Zamarripa in his stead. Now we hear that the inmates at Transportation have literally taken over the asylum there. With Peña and Chirinos given them succor and comfort, the bus drivers union through Petra Ramirez are having a free hand. We hear that drivers sometimes don't show up, that they work when they want to, and that they pretty much supervise themselves.
Zamarripa, like the "Angel," who just arrived in from the coast as in Dylan's "Tom Thumbs Blues," is said to have left looking just like a ghost and the administration had to send in AAs Jimmy Haynes and Carlos Guerra to try to ride herd on the marauders at the bus barn.
While that erupted out on FM 802, we also learn that a resolution to the multi-million litigation brought against the BISD by Rodriguez and his protege Tom Chavez in 2012 may bear fruition.
Richard Zayas filed the lawsuit on behalf of Rodriguez and Chavez, and it was assigned to the 107th state District Court. It demanded a trial by jury and seeks damages to be determined by the court, $1 million in exemplary damages and court costs.
Zayas is a former member of the BISD Board of Trustees who was defeated for re-election in November 2010. Rodriguez retired as BISD athletic director on Dec. 31, 2009, and Chavez took over the position at that time. Chavez was later reassigned and over the summer was named head football coach at Rivera High School.
The forensic audit that Defenbaugh and Associates did for BISD found “systemic corruption at practically every level,” according to an executive summary released by the district.
According to the lawsuit filed by Rodriguez and Chavez, it also defamed them without substantiation. The forensic report stated that:
"Investigation and analysis subsequently revealed that a substantial amount of payments of uniforms and equipment totaling $497,117 in fiscal year 2010-2011 was completed compared to the previous fiscal years (2009-2010) total of $175,715; an increase of 283 percent...
Although Chavez denied giving preferential treatment to BNS and/or Joe Rodriguez in the purchasing process for both schools, Chavez never gave any due consideration to at least three other approved vendors sports distributors."
We have previously reported on the $90,000 golden parachute that Rodriguez got from the BISD to go quietly back in 2012.
The original petition to that settlement itself is filled with quaint (and cute) references to Coach Joe's glorious career and cowboy-like image. In it, Rodriguez complains that mean old Presas-Garcia "spoiled plaintiff's intent to ride off into the sunset and retire with honor and dignity."We have previously reported on the $90,000 golden parachute that Rodriguez got from the BISD to go quietly back in 2012.
We guess that the $90,000 parachute provided the ran out and Coach Joe is back for more action on overtime. How things have changed.
Rodriguez is once again a board member and Chirinos, who was also taken to task in the forensic audit for this handling of the Transportation Department's overtime overruns totaling $2 million over two years waste in his budget with a bloated inventory, will now have a say in the settlement of his buddy's lawsuit.
But since it would be difficult to prove in court that Rodriguez's reputation was damaged to any great extent given his win in the recent elections, it seems that they are now willing to settle with a sympathetic board.
Zayas, who was ousted by former trustee Lucy Longoria – an ally of his nemesis Catalina Presas-Garcia – will now probably laugh all the way to the bank with Rodriguez and Chavez because it seems that the board majority will rather roll over and play dead than go to court and have the duo prove its allegations.
24 comments:
So many moves going on that are on the hush-hush. Nothing updated on the BISD Department Directory. A lot of chaos going on that is being kept quiet. Also, Zendejas treated all of the BISD Glass Palace Secretaries to a BISD Cafeteria Catered Luncheon.To attend, folks had to RSVP and pay 10 bucks to sit alongside Minnie, who was the guest of honor. What a joke! Is she promising raises? Instead of these secretary luncheons, give all the bus drivers and school clerks a raise. There is an excess in Glass Palace secretaries and they do not have the amount of work and responsibilities that campus clerks have every single day--and with a 30 min or less lunch break! Plus, clerks can't earn overtime as the Glass Palace secretaries. Just find out the salaries of some of them and its above a teachers salary!
Yes and the work 30 more days than teachers. That is a month an a half mor
Campus clerks and secretaries work hard.
What is going on with the SPA?
Is it true that some Area Admin secretaries make more than teachers?
Ask Juan Jose de leon who is bertha "La Vaca" Pena's secretary?
Pura chusma, the glass palace do nothing should be moved to schools, starting with the HR admin!
Just find out the salaries of some of them and its above a teachers salary!
*If you know this for a fact, please elaborate by naming examples or departments because if that is the case, it is AGAINST THE LAW. Teachers are certified by the state of Texas, BISD is not a private entity and local tax payers are footing the bill for such salaries. The departments directory does show some changes and places the word "interim" before the director titles.
Problems are not only ocurring at the "glass palace", but also at the schools. Some schools have very poor webmasters that dont update their pages, some are working with a shortage of assistant principals (too many are at the main office), the "Early College" high schools have over 2000 students in their school and only about 100 are enrolled in Early College because the rest are going to charter schools, it all starts from the top.
Word is out. Joey López will be awarded school district' cafeteria plan and consultant contract. The greasing of the Palms has begun .
He has the 4 votes?
Wasn't he going to be hired by the district to work in the insurance department?
March 29, 2015 at 5:01 AM * Its called "EXTRA-DUTY PAY aka OVERTIME" and ITS IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW. There is no limit, its just who you know or who's the Administrators favorite. What world go you live in....jajaja.....anything goes at BISD. You should know! *wink wink.
corruption
Just find out the salaries of some of them and its above a teachers salary!
*If you know this for a fact, please elaborate by naming examples or departments because if that is the case, it is AGAINST THE LAW.
Just follow the paper trail! Doesn't MA from Records Dept. make more than some principals? Does BP a useless AA just recently got an 18K raise, same as Zergio Sarate's sister and the other HR they both got close to 20K for something that is already in the contract as other duties as assigned?
Teachers are certified by the state of Texas, BISD is not a private entity and local tax payers are footing the bill for such salaries.
So,,,,,BISD's glass palace is full of politics that are not about the children?
The departments directory does show some changes and places the word "interim" before the director titles.
Problems are not only occurring at the "glass palace", but also at the schools. Some schools have very poor webmasters that don't update their pages, some are working with a shortage of assistant principals (too many are at the main office), the "Early College" high schools have over 2000 students in their school and only about 100 are enrolled in Early College because the rest are going to charter schools, it all starts from the top.
Yes! it starts at the top, with those AA and their assistants making a killing for doing absolutely nothing?
asn't he going to be hired by the district to work in the insurance department?
The insurance has Kent with his Barbies? otro greaser, either they grease their own palms, the consultants, or the Trustees?
Would you buy a used car from him ?
Caesar López is washing his paws awaiting the grease that follows for awarding the Insurace contract to Ole Joey.
To begin with, the principal's secretaries work the same amount of days as the principals and are considered a Level 5 position. Elementary works 210 days, Middle School works 217 days, and High School works 226 days. They are considered at-will employees and must follow the wage & hour FEDERAL law. Their hourly wage is based on their years of experience. Therefore, the secretaries for the AA & the Asst. Superintendents are considered either level 7 or 8. They work 227 days and are paid hourly and their years of experience are taken into consideration. Stop trying to drag people's names through the mud. I believe that many of the secretaries at the main office have over 20 years of experience & are paid for their years of service.
Does anyone remember the name of the board member that said he was in favor of giving Joey Lopez the business during a board meeting?
Wake up people! These blogs allow adults to bully other adults with false statements, exaggerated truths or even name calling. Why do we allow this? We tell our children that this is unacceptable yet anyone who works for BISD can and will be bullied for the world to see. Maybe BISD needs to quit telling children to stop bulling because apparently in the real world it is acceptable. Your lies and unresearched comments really hurt people but I guess you know that or majority of the commenters wouldn't be posting anonymously. If we honestly knew who these " anoymous" people were we would be telling lies and exaggerating the truth about YOU too!
Don't Take Criticism Personally
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who error and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt
ouch..someone got offended @1:57pm.now we know that 20 years experience amounts to a Level 4 pay for you know who. How sad that the bus drivers with the same years of experience as one of those AA secretaries earn peanuts and yet their responsibilities are huge...students! An AA high stress task is making sure the coffee pot is full.c'mon buddy no one is dragging people's name except for you!
Who else was moved? A lot of under the radar moves happening? Anyone know?
When Old Joey is given the appt. With BISD he will have to surrender his ins. Lic. with the State Board. He will use degreaser soap on his paws.
And then we wonder why parents are pulling their kids out of BISD and into the local charter schools; no matter what degree or title amongst BISD employees it seems that nobody has it together either way. Pura politics, que triste. Oops, did I just speak Spanish?? Heaven forbid that Dr Zendejas finds out, she and other dept administration are forbidding Spanish on campus or the glass palace. Oh but BISD is still offering Spanish classes and the question about being bilingual is still part of a job application right? Son Una bola de tontos!!
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