Even as Texas Southmost College looks for a way to drop President Lily Tercero for a number of alleged shortcomings, the board of directors of the Brownsville Independent School District will consider awarding Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas a three-year extension on top of the two years left on her existing contract.
The meeting is today at 3 p.m. at the BISD main building at 1900 Price Road.
The item titled " 89. Discussion, consideration and possible action regarding extension and amendment to Superintendent's Contract (Board Member Request)." Interestingly, it is among the items on the "consent agenda" which means there is already a majority that won't object to taking an up and down vote on the item.
The agenda doesn't say which of the board member requested that it be put on the agenda for consideration. But sources say it was trustee Joe Rodriguez who moved to give Zendejas a three-year cushion in case the upcoming trustee election doesn't go their way.
Coming a scant three months before the November elections where a majority of the board (four members) are up for reelection, this means that their vote will saddle the new majority with a superintendent for the next five years.
That is exactly what happened when a majority at TSC – Kiko Rendon, Ed Rivera, Art Rendon, Dr. Rey Garcia and Trey Mendez – voted to giver her a two-year extension and keep her salary at $228,000.
Kiko Rendon and Rivera did not run for reelection and knew that they had the votes to saddle the new majority with her administration or be forced to buy out her contract. Art Rendon and Garcia remained on the board and were not up for reelection.
The only members that didn't vote to extend the contract were now-chairperson Adela Garza and Ray Hinojosa.
Now, as a myriad of problems popped out at the college which forced the new majority to cut their losses and order a hearing for her dismissal for cause, it is more than certain that the taxpayers of the college will have to foot at least some of the bill to pay for that extension.
That is what is going to be considered at BISD tonight. Trustees Jose Chirinos, Otis Powers, Catalina Presas-Garcia and Minerva Peña, all up for reelection, will have a vote on the item. If they vote and then lose in November, they would have voted to encumber the incoming board members with Zendejas for the next five years.
But it gets better.
If you notice, the agenda item also calls for an unspecified "amendment" to the her contract, but doesn't specify what they want to amend.
And they call this transparency?
What if there is a clause included that states that the board agrees not to terminate her contract before the five-year period is up? Or what if it calls for graduated salary increases each year?
What exactly is in the existing contract is something that the district is supposed to post on its Internet site, but it does not. Tonight, when the vote comes up for the extension, the public won't know what its representatives on the board are agreeing to.
When Rodriguez and his majority brought Zendejas on board, they gave her carte blanche to rearrange the deck chairs on the HMS BISD. She, apparently, has pleased her masters.
Just a few meeting ago, the majority also voted to extend BISD general counsel Baltazar Salazar's contract to a hefty $245,000 a year. Although the contract has a termination period clause in it, it effectively ties the hands of future boards in deciding about his continued employment. It was an open secret in the district that Zendejas wanted a piece of that action and protection, too.
This lack of transparency is about par with Zendejas' tenure at the BISD. When she was named interim superintendent, there were lengthy discussions about having a nationwide search for the new superintendent, to hire a consultant to assist the board and a citizens committee to be formed to choose the new one.
None of that happened. The trustees – especially Rodriguez, who talked a big game about consultants and committee sizes – just kind of ignored their past promises and made her assignment permanent
And now, even as the results of such irresponsible official acts is all too apparent at TSC, the current majority – Joe Rodriguez, Cesar Lopez, Chirinos, Peña, Carlos Elizondo, and sometimes Peña – are getting ready to repeat the same mistake their big brothers over at TSC did.
After all, if it doesn't work out, the next board will have to buy out her contract or face a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
12 comments:
These board members better do the right thing and not sack the taxpayers with a large parachute contract pay off when she decides to go or let go.that bullshit has to stop
Whoever votes for the extension of Zendejas's contract, lets remember that when they are up for re-election and OUT THEY GO.
Juanito, let us know who voted to extend Zendejas contract. We need to remember them when they run again. These board members would think twice to give BISD money away to Zendejas if it was coming from their own personal bank accounts.
Time to clean house cause BISD is giving free money to administrator's to do what? Laugh all the way to the bank!
All board members voted for her extension. She is one of the better superintendents BISD has ever had. Superintendents are not there to be liked or do what the employees want. They are there to run the district
We need to Vote Rigo in he is the best choice. You know better Juanito!
DR.Z,
RUN WITH THE BALL NOW !!
CLEAN HOUSE AND GET GOOD PEOPLE TO HELP YOU GET THINGS DONE, FOR THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF BISD.
Nobody's talking performance good try on justifying your vote what some of us want to know if you all voted for a golden parachute in her contract with our tax dollars were tired of that bullshit . taxpayers are not stupid and are wise to the fact that she the super Zendejas has had a history of the golden parachute in her past employment history. The truth will come out and the board members will be held accountable ., scratch mine and I'll scratch yours wtf do it with your own money Dicks!!
Oh...a raise for zendejas
And certified employees get a mesly 1 percent...
For real? Money being stold from the student accounts from the bookeeper, teachers not respected when they issue grades, low morale at only one campus, Rivera and no changes, wtf? Is that good performance?
DR.ZENDEJAS,
Facilities/Maintenance needs a new administration team !
Yeah she wants to cut jobs on every level. She says there is no money but for a raise for herself there always is. If you want a good brisket you cut the fat starting from the top. Leave the campuses alone, if you take staff away from schools it will be harder for the school to run. It is really easy just to say oh give the extra duty to this and that employee but are those employees really supposed to stay after hours to catch up. They do have a right to be home and attend to their families. Or will the employees now be paid overtime? Let's say that you earn 4000 a month and work 60 hours a week equals or about 16 dollars an hour. Nobody should be forced to work more than 40 hours a week, if they do then overtime.Show the employees the money because you sure are getting it. Cut the pay starting rom the top. Take a pay cut starting from that building or eliminate those jobs. When the new board gets voted in and they will, the ideology will change and she will take good money home. You don't need 270,000 that is a salary of about 6-7 teachers combined. That is a hard paycheck to live on for the month. Instead of monthly payments you all need to think about biweekly payments so that the workers could budget better.
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