Superintendent disputes allegations at termination hearing

Superintendent Hector Gonzales said he is absolutely confident he can bring the Brownsville Independent School District back together under his and the Board of Trustees’ leadership.

Testifying Wednesday afternoon at his Chapter 21 "for cause" termination hearing, Gonzales left little doubt he is still passionate about BISD and its students, parents, teachers and administrators.

"In your heart of hearts do you think there is any way that you and the Board of Trustees can get back on track," Gonzales’ attorney, Ruben Peña, asked as the superintendent began giving his side of the events leading up to his proposed ouster.

"Without a doubt," Gonzales said, not hesitating.

"And you’re willing to do that?" Peña asked.

"Absolutely," Gonzales said.

The assessment was at considerable odds with the picture painted by Rick Navarro, the attorney hired by the Board of Trustees majority to investigate Gonzales and the BISD Special Services Department.

Gonzales has been on administrative leave with pay since Jan. 12.

Before Gonzales started testifying, San Antonio attorney Phillip Marzec spent about an hour questioning Jerry Barber, a former superintendent of the United Independent School District in Laredo and the Ysletta Independent School District. Barber is a consultant to the case against Gonzales. Marzec is part of Navarro’s team and prosecuted the successful termination case in 2001 against former BISD superintendent Noe Sauceda.

With Peña guiding him, Gonzales provided a point-by-point refutation of virtually every allegation made by Navarro so far in the hearing.

Gonzales said he hired Art Rendon as director of Special Services because he was uniquely qualified for the position. Rendon was principal at Faulk Middle School when he was named to the position on an interim basis in August 2006 after Gonzales became interim superintendent.

"One of the greatest things about Art is his ability to communicate with parents and staff," Gonzales said. "His greatest asset is that ability to work with people and lay down a good foundation."

Susan Fox was serving as Special Services director when Rendon became the interim director, even though she was a level eight administrator and the Special Services position was a level six post. Gonzales said former superintendent Michael Zolkowski had intended to make the Special Services director an area superintendent-level post.

Fox and Rendon applied for Special Services director. Gonzales said he hired Rendon for the post because Fox, with 38 years as an administrator, could be better unitized elsewhere. Fox now is the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources.

Earlier in the hearing, district counsel Mike Saldaña testified that he told Gonzales it was a mistake to put Rendon in charge of Special Services. Saldaña said Gonzales had replied that he would "give Rendon a year" in the position "and he will self-destruct."

"Absolutely not," Gonzales said when asked if Saldaña had said that it was a mistake to put Rendon in charge of Special Services. As to the "self-destruct" comment Saldaña attributed to him, Gonzales also said he never said it.

"Not only that, I wouldn’t even use the words. They’re not in my vocabulary," he said.

Gonzales also said budget problems attributed to Rendon are being misconstrued. Budget administrator Tony Fuller testified on Tuesday that he had had problems getting Rendon to submit his budget, as well as with purchase orders.

Gonzales said he and Rendon had been working to revamp the Special Services Department to better serve students. He said it is documented that they planned to close 55 vacant special education positions across the district in the 2008-09 budget, which would result in about $3 million in savings.

He said he asked Salvador Cavazos, then-assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and Rendon’s immediate supervisor, to turn in the closures to human resources and tell Rendon to create line items in the Special Services budget so the money would be available later.

The closures never occurred because human resources was somehow not told to make them, Gonzales said.

The hearing continues at 8:30 a.m. today in BISD’s Security Services building on Price Road.