(Texas Scorecard) – A South Texas school superintendent who recently resigned under mysterious circumstances after just one year on the job was paid a quarter-million taxpayer dollars to buy out the remainder of his contract, even as the school district faces financial challenges.
Harlingen Independent School District trustees agreed earlier this month to let Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez “resign and pursue other interests,” citing unexplained “serious issues.”
According to Valley Central, trustees gave Gonzalez a payment of $250,780 plus unused leave in exchange for his resignation.
The school board released a statement Wednesday defending their decision.
“The Agreement ensures fiscal responsibility amid a challenging financial environment. The former Superintendent had a three-year contract that if paid in full would have exceeded a million dollars,” read the statement. “By accepting his resignation, the District is no longer obligated to pay the final two years of this contract.”
The board had voted in April to give Gonzalez a $10,000 raise, to $310,000, and to extend his contract.
Wednesday’s board statement noted that a new Finance and Planning Committee—which first met a week before Gonzalez resigned—has reviewed expenditures made during the last fiscal year under Gonzalez’s administration.
“Many of these expenditures were beyond the approved budget and occurred without adequate communication to the Board,” the statement read.
Deputy Superintendent Maria Veronica Kortan is acting as interim superintendent of Harlingen CISD while trustees search for a permanent replacement for Gonzalez.
At any given time, dozens of Texas school districts are searching for superintendents.
