Following years of allegations of shady business deals and nepotism in Harlandale ISD, the Texas Education Agency has announced plans to remove the district’s superintendent and board of trustees.
The late Tuesday announcement means superintendent Rey Madrigal, who has held the position since being named interim superintendent in 2012, will be out of a job. Changes for Harlandale come after an investigation found violations related to “contracting practices, contract procurement, nepotism and the Open Meetings Act,” said TEA commissioner Mike Morath in a letter.
The district, which serves a portion of the city’s South Side, will also suffer a lower accreditation status. Harlandale ISD will now be marked as “accredited-warned.”
“Given the critical nature of the findings, I am appointing a board of managers to the district to exercise the powers and duties of the district’s board of trustees,” Morath’s letter reads.
TEA will appoint a new superintendent as well as a conservator, Judy Castleberry, to “oversee the financial management of the district.” The TEA-selected board of managers will be made up of community members.
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This article appears in The Pride Issue.
