By Juan Montoya
On Wednesday's specially called meeting of the board of trustees of the Brownsville Independent School District, the festering question on what to do about the $25,060 ring "donation" from vendor Herrf Jones to the Porter championship team will again surface for discussion and possible action.
The board called the special meeting for 3 p.m. Wednesday at the BISD main office on Price Road.
The vendor decided to "donate: the rings to 28 players of the 2016 championship District 5A soccer team of the Porter early College High School about two months into an investigation led by co-lead auditor Arvin Tucker.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Tucker stated in his report that the vendor had sent an invoice for $31,020 for 40 rings. The students' rings were worth $885 each while the 11 non-students rings – which included a free ring for trustee Joe Rodriguez and superintendent Esperanza Zendejas as "volume discounts – were valued at $995 each.
Arvin's report leads one to believe that indicates that the first time that Zendejas had heard about the June 6, 2016 invoice was when Principal Hector Hernandez – who also got a $995 ring – sent her the invoice asking her what could be done to pay the vendor.
At the time Zendejas told Tucker there was no money budgeted by the district or school for their purchase and "negotiated with the vendor to have him donate the student rings and make the non-players pay for theirs. Reading Tucker's report, it would seem that neither Zendejas nor Hernandez had anything to do with ordering them. In fact, Tucker's report concluded that no one knew who had ordered them. The order, he said, originated in the athletic department of the school.
Since then, emails have surfaced which indicate that Zendejas and Hernandez and Tom Campos, the school's athletic coordinator, had a direct personal role in ordering the rings.
An email from Zendejas to competitor vendor Jim Ramirez representing Josten's April 21, 2016 responded to the offer by Ramirez to allow his company to bid for the business.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Ramirez asked to "please let us guarantee that we will bet (sic) any price out there plus give a letterman jacket and posters to go with the order. Also we will give each player free pictures... included with the rings."
Zendejas responded that "We have been in discussion regarding student rings with the company that assisted Rivera early College High School with their championship rings last year."
Rivera, whose Athletic Director is BISD trustee Joe Rodriguez's protege,Tom Chavez, won the 2014-2015 6A Boys Soccer UIL State soccer tile. Herrf Jones sold the rings to the BISD that year.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
"I have spoken to the Principal and Athletic Coordinator regarding the (rings)...We have been in discussion regarding student rings with the company that assisted Rivera...with their championship rings last year." (Click on graphic to enlarge)
Zendeja did not mention that the company she was referring was none other than Herrf Jones, the company associated with Rodriguez's BSN Sports under the Varsity Brands "banner."
This communication with Josten's Ramirez was on April 21, only five days after Porter's April 16 win over Frisco in Georgetown.
And although trustee Rodriguez did file a conflict of interest affidavit with the district for BSN Sports in November 2014, he did not mention that BSN had merged with Herrf Jones in 2013, two years after BSN hired him as their "ambassador consultant." Both companies, then, are one and the same under the Varsity Brands umbrella.
http://www.bsnsports.com/press_releases/merger%20-%2006-25-13.pdf
Since Rodriguez is a registered vendor for BSN which is one and the same as Herrf Jones, he is prevented from discussing or voting on any item dealing with those companies. However, since the irissue first surfaced in the board's January 17 meeting, he has discussed and voted on the issue. In one vote which ended in a 3-3 tie, the donation from the vendor was not accepted. In another the following month, he cast his vote that resulted in another tie that prevented the district from asking the Texas Education Agency for assistance to resolve the matter.
Did the Rodriguez votes constitute a violation pf the Texas Local Government Code prohibiting his participation in matters having to do with matters in which he had a personal interest? In Wednesday's agenda for the BISD trustee meeting, there is an item asking that the district hire an attorney to investigate the ordering of rhe rings contrary to the procurement policies of the district as well as another one questioning the same issue in connection with the purchase of $1,5 million in iTablets for BISD fifth graders.
Will Rodriguez be prevented from discussing or voting on these items?
On Wednesday's specially called meeting of the board of trustees of the Brownsville Independent School District, the festering question on what to do about the $25,060 ring "donation" from vendor Herrf Jones to the Porter championship team will again surface for discussion and possible action.
The board called the special meeting for 3 p.m. Wednesday at the BISD main office on Price Road.
The vendor decided to "donate: the rings to 28 players of the 2016 championship District 5A soccer team of the Porter early College High School about two months into an investigation led by co-lead auditor Arvin Tucker.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Tucker stated in his report that the vendor had sent an invoice for $31,020 for 40 rings. The students' rings were worth $885 each while the 11 non-students rings – which included a free ring for trustee Joe Rodriguez and superintendent Esperanza Zendejas as "volume discounts – were valued at $995 each.Arvin's report leads one to believe that indicates that the first time that Zendejas had heard about the June 6, 2016 invoice was when Principal Hector Hernandez – who also got a $995 ring – sent her the invoice asking her what could be done to pay the vendor.
At the time Zendejas told Tucker there was no money budgeted by the district or school for their purchase and "negotiated with the vendor to have him donate the student rings and make the non-players pay for theirs. Reading Tucker's report, it would seem that neither Zendejas nor Hernandez had anything to do with ordering them. In fact, Tucker's report concluded that no one knew who had ordered them. The order, he said, originated in the athletic department of the school.
Since then, emails have surfaced which indicate that Zendejas and Hernandez and Tom Campos, the school's athletic coordinator, had a direct personal role in ordering the rings.
An email from Zendejas to competitor vendor Jim Ramirez representing Josten's April 21, 2016 responded to the offer by Ramirez to allow his company to bid for the business.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Ramirez asked to "please let us guarantee that we will bet (sic) any price out there plus give a letterman jacket and posters to go with the order. Also we will give each player free pictures... included with the rings."Zendejas responded that "We have been in discussion regarding student rings with the company that assisted Rivera early College High School with their championship rings last year."
Rivera, whose Athletic Director is BISD trustee Joe Rodriguez's protege,Tom Chavez, won the 2014-2015 6A Boys Soccer UIL State soccer tile. Herrf Jones sold the rings to the BISD that year.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
"I have spoken to the Principal and Athletic Coordinator regarding the (rings)...We have been in discussion regarding student rings with the company that assisted Rivera...with their championship rings last year." (Click on graphic to enlarge)
Zendeja did not mention that the company she was referring was none other than Herrf Jones, the company associated with Rodriguez's BSN Sports under the Varsity Brands "banner."
This communication with Josten's Ramirez was on April 21, only five days after Porter's April 16 win over Frisco in Georgetown.
And although trustee Rodriguez did file a conflict of interest affidavit with the district for BSN Sports in November 2014, he did not mention that BSN had merged with Herrf Jones in 2013, two years after BSN hired him as their "ambassador consultant." Both companies, then, are one and the same under the Varsity Brands umbrella.
http://www.bsnsports.com/press_releases/merger%20-%2006-25-13.pdf
Since Rodriguez is a registered vendor for BSN which is one and the same as Herrf Jones, he is prevented from discussing or voting on any item dealing with those companies. However, since the irissue first surfaced in the board's January 17 meeting, he has discussed and voted on the issue. In one vote which ended in a 3-3 tie, the donation from the vendor was not accepted. In another the following month, he cast his vote that resulted in another tie that prevented the district from asking the Texas Education Agency for assistance to resolve the matter.
Did the Rodriguez votes constitute a violation pf the Texas Local Government Code prohibiting his participation in matters having to do with matters in which he had a personal interest? In Wednesday's agenda for the BISD trustee meeting, there is an item asking that the district hire an attorney to investigate the ordering of rhe rings contrary to the procurement policies of the district as well as another one questioning the same issue in connection with the purchase of $1,5 million in iTablets for BISD fifth graders.
Will Rodriguez be prevented from discussing or voting on these items?