By Juan Montoya
The board of trustees of the Brownsville Independent School District, by a 4-3 vote, approved the hiring of Weslaco attorney Ivan Perez to investigate and possibly defend administration in pending grievances.
However, by a 5-2 vote, declined to go along with board member (and Brownsville Fire Chief) Carflos Elizondo to hire a Hearing Officer for all Level III grievances. The Hearing Officer was top represent School Board on all Level III grievances effective February 2017. The recommendation included the school board appointing the Hearing Officer during its January 2017 meeting.
Voting for against the Level III attorney were Dr. Sylvia Atkinson, Philip Cowen, Minerva Peña, Cesar Lopez and Laura Perez-Reyes. Voting in favor of hiring the attorney were Elizondo and trustee Joe Rodriguez.
"Those two are thick as thieves," quipped a BISD administrator after the meeting.
At the last meeting of the board in November, BISD Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas placed an item on the board's agenda to appoint hearing officers to hear the Level III grievances.
At the time, new board members Atkinson and Cowen objected and voted down the item saying that the responsibility of the board is to cast the final decision on the grievances filed against the district and/or board members by district employees.
This time, they used a new tack. Instead of voting to hire yet another lawyer, the majority sent the proposal to the board's policy committee to study the issue and decide whether a new legal hire is necessary at all. With any luck it will die a quiet death in the committee.