(Texas Scorecard) – Just weeks into a new school year, superintendents in two Texas school districts have been suspended or resigned for undisclosed reasons.
During a special meeting on September 4, Grand Prairie Independent School District’s board of trustees voted to place Superintendent Jorge Arredondo on paid administrative leave pending an unexplained investigation.
About Arredondo
Arredondo was selected in May to head the DFW-area district and started the job on July 1.
His three-year superintendent contract includes a base salary of $317,000 plus performance bonuses and other benefits.
According to his official biography, Arredondo is “a passionate advocate for equity in education” and received an “Educator of the Year” award from LULAC in 2016.
He worked for five years as an assistant superintendent in Houston ISD before becoming superintendent of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD in South Texas in 2019.
Arredondo left PSJA ISD in June 2023, then spent a year as student affairs officer in Spring ISD before landing the superintendent spot in Grand Prairie a few months ago.
As recently as August 27, Arredondo was meeting with city officials on behalf of the district.
One local news outlet suggested the outside investigation could be tied to Arredondo’s handling of district finances and contracts during his last superintendent job.
A forensic audit of PSJA ISD business during Arredondo’s tenure as superintendent—ordered after he left and completed in September 2023—revealed several irregularities.
Last week’s vote to suspend Arredondo as Grand Prairie superintendent was 5-2. Chief Financial Officer Traci Ray was named interim superintendent.
About Grand Prairie ISD
Grand Prairie ISD Trustee David Espinosa, a nine-year incumbent who was re-elected in May unopposed, cast one of the votes against suspending Superintendent Arredondo.
He said the move seemed like a politically motivated “witch hunt.” He and others in the community are calling for district administrators to disclose more information about the investigation.
Trustee Gloria Carrillo cast the other vote against placing Arredondo on leave. Trustees Amber Moffit, Emily Liles, Terry Brooks, Bryan Parra, and Nancy Bridges voted in favor.
Espinosa, Carrillo, and Parra were elected following a lawsuit settled in 2014 that forced the district to change from all at-large districts to two at-large districts and five single-member districts—two of which include a majority of Hispanic-eligible voters. Carrillo represents one of the at-large districts.
In 2023, Espinosa, Carrillo, and Parra ran as a slate that included Espinosa for Grand Prairie City Council and incumbents Carrillo and Parra for Grand Prairie ISD trustees. Espinosa lost, but Carillo and Parra won.
The slate of candidates was supported by Dallas personal injury lawyer and then-president of LULAC Domingo Garcia, who has also backed Espinosa since 2015. Garcia is a former state representative and Dallas City Council member. His wife, Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia, promoted Arredondo’s appearance at a local LULAC event last month.
Espinosa was also linked to an investigation of ballot harvesting in Grand Prairie’s 2018 local elections.
In 2018, Grand Prairie ISD had the second-highest-paid superintendent in Texas. In addition to a $405,000 salary, trustees gave then-Superintendent Susan Hull bonuses of up to $150,000 plus thousands of dollars worth of other benefits, including a district-owned home to live in. Hull then spent an additional $160,000 of taxpayer money—without trustees’ approval—on remodeling the home.
Yet Trustee Terry Brooks said she was “worth every penny we pay her and more.”
Also on Hull’s watch, Grand Prairie ISD’s CFO embezzled $600,000 in cash from the district.
Earlier this year, the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) named Grand Prairie ISD’s school board as one of five “Honor Board” finalists selected by a committee of superintendents.
Harlingen CISD Superintendent Shuffle
Another unexplained superintendent shuffle occurred last week in South Texas.
On September 3, Harlingen CISD trustees agreed to let Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez “resign and pursue other interests” after just one year on the job, citing “serious issues.”
Again, no details were disclosed.
Trustees had voted in April to give Gonzalez a $10,000 raise, to $310,000, and extended his contract.
The district’s secrecy about the reason for his resignation led to speculation among parents.
Some accused Gonzalez of misspending district funds on expenses such as a “chauffeur.” Others wondered if the superintendent was forced out because he had uncovered wrongdoing by other district officials.
About Gonzalez
In 2020, Gonzalez was named Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). According to a press statement, the selection committee “targeted such issues as advocacy, diversity and inclusion,” as well as leadership skills and the board-superintendent relationship.
Gonzalez took the job heading Harlingen CISD in July 2023 after eight years as McAllen ISD’s superintendent.
“They have a hard-working staff, their school board is second to none,” Gonzalez told KRGV. “When you look at all those things, and you put them together, it’s just a desirable destination.”
Trustees named Harlingen CISD’s Deputy Superintendent Veronica Kortan as interim superintendent while they search for a permanent replacement for Gonzalez.
Superintendent Searches
With more than 1,000 independent school districts in the state, the demand for qualified superintendents is constant.
TexasISD.com, which tracks superintendent job searches, currently shows 70 vacancies in school districts’ top administrator positions statewide.