South San ISD’s superintendent has resigned after less than a year in the position.
During Tuesday’s special meeting, Alexandro Flores submitted his resignation. Shortly before the board voted to accept the resignation, three trustees also announced their resignations. Mandy Martinez, Louis Ybarra Jr. and Elda Flores said they didn’t “feel valued on the board,” according to a KSAT report.
The change in leadership comes on the heels of months of discussions after the school board requested that the district reopen three campuses: Athens Elementary, Kazen Middle School and West Campus High School. According to reports, Flores was unsure about reopening the schools due to low enrollment and the cost of doing so. The superindendant, who signed a four-year contract last October, was reportedly given a few months to “get the work accomplished” to reopen the schools.
The board’s operations have been overseen by the Texas Education Agency, which raised concerns about the way the board “dictates to the district staff and dismisses Flores’ recommendations.”
South San ISD has spent more than $2.6 million in reopening the schools, KSAT reports. Funds have been used to repair, clean and generally prepare the campuses for students. That figure doesn’t include paying teachers and faculty, which is reportedly $1.7 million for Athens, $1.3 million for Kazen and $443,000 for West Campus, bringing the total cost to about $6 million.
An interim superintendent will fill Flores’ vacancy until a permanent one has been selected.
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This article appears in College Guide 2019.
