UNBELIEVABLE!

No letter of reprimand. No administrative leave. Not even a slap on the wrist. Nothing, zilch, Nada. A little tongue-lashing from Trustee Carla Ranger, but that's about all that came out of today's specially called board meeting to discuss possible disciplinary action against the Superintendent.

I can actually believe that a "clerical error" placed the raise for the the Chief Academic Officer on the September 24 agenda instead of the October agenda. However, two things came out during today's conversations that, if I were a Trustee, would have required SOME kind of action!

Under questioning from Trustee Ranger, Superintendent Hinojosa admitted that he learned that the raise was mistakenly on the agenda some 24 hours BEFORE the September 24 Board meeting. Why didn't he then call the Board President and inform him of the mistake? Why didn't he at least inform the Board BEFORE the Consent Agenda came up for a vote that one item had mistakenly been placed on there and needed to be removed?

He KNEW that the item was on the agenda and said NOTHING! He KNEW it was on the agenda and only said something some days later after getting busted. HE KNEW and DID NOTHING!

The second statement that caught my attention today was when the Superintendent said he directed staff not to implement a duly-approved board action. He said he directed staff not to implement the raise when he learned that the Board really did not know what they had voted for.

Trustee Ranger, gotta love her, pointed out that she didn't believe the Superintendent had the authority to just ignore, or direct staff to ignore, a duly-approved Board action. This was quickly passed over, but Trustee Ranger is correct. Since when can a Superintendent NOT IMPLEMENT something the Board has approved? I think never.

Trustee Ranger moved that an independent investigation be conducted into what happened. She did get a second from Trustee Dr. Lew Blackburn, but lost the vote 1 to 8 when the question was called. Ranger made another motion to place the Superintendent on administrative leave, but that motion died for lack of a second. The Trustees then moved for adjournment, voted in favor, and the meeting was adjourned.

I thought I had seen it all in DISD, but today took it to a new level. If any other employee in the DISD violates district policy, they are promptly handed their termination letter. But not the Superintendent. He doesn't even get a letter of reprimand, slap on the wrist, nothing, zilch, Nada. Unbelievable...