The South San ISD Board will discuss the Texas Education Agency’s appointment of a conservator at a special board meeting on Tuesday. At least one board member and a San Antonio city council member are happy to see the TEA step in.
The overseer appointed by the TEA will have control over much of the governing operations of the South San school board. For board member Stacey Estrada, that’s a welcome addition. “I’m actually very excited about it. I think that this is going to be a big plus for our district,” Estrada said.
The Texas Education agency appointed Judy Castleberry late Friday after superintendent Abeladro Saavedra sent a 100-page complaint to the agency in November over various problems with the board and president Connie Prado. The district has seen five superintendents in five years. Estrada says her colleagues on the board ignored a previous TEA correction plan. “They’re not going to have a choice but to follow the rules, but to follow policy. They were doing as they pleased. There’s rules and regulations for a reason and I think having a conservator is going to make that happen,” she added.
Saavedra wasn’t the first to ask for TEA help. San Antonio District 4 councilman Rey Saldana, a South San graduate, sent a letter at the end of 2014. He says the conservator is a step in the right direction but not the final answer. “What is the permanent fix is electing a school board in November that not only the TEA can trust but that the community can have confidence in. This is a symptom of school board after school board over the last generation being unable to provide unification and leadership for that district,” he said.
As conservator, Castleberry will have the authority to oversee and overrule board decisions. The district has until February 12th to contest the TEA decision.
