A conservator overseeing the South San Antonio Independent School District is recommending that state-appointed managers replace the elected board of trustees following a year of continued governance issues and infighting.
Abe Saavedra, who was appointed last year as part of an agreement to delay the severe action by the state agency, sent a letter to Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath Thursday morning, which was obtained by the San Antonio Report.
“A Board of Managers will facilitate a clean break from the governance failures that have persisted in South San Antonio ISD and facilitate an opportunity for the district to be governed by community members who can implement best practices and provide wise oversight and strong governance,” he said in the letter.
Finding community members engaged enough to serve by appointment could be a challenge, however, with recent attempts to host community meetings to inform and educate potential school board candidates on school district governance and the responsibilities of school board members failed to materialize.
“It is difficult to know whether enough qualified candidates would apply to serve on a Board of Managers,” he said.
Board members canceled a called election scheduled for November after only one candidate filed for each position, including several incumbents and one newcomer.
According to the letter, despite TEA’s September 2023 agreement with the district to avoid a state takeover, South San Antonio ISD’s board has not fully met any of the key improvement criteria set by the conservator, including effective governance in alignment with state education laws, adherence to best practices in communication and support for the district’s mission and student outcomes. The goals were intended to address governance deficiencies identified in a 2023 Special Investigation Final Report.
Saavedra gave a more positive assessment of the district in September.
“Things have certainly calmed down,” he said at the time. “We haven’t had the chaos recently that we’ve had in previous meetings, and they seem to be working with each other better.”
In the letter to the agency, Saavedra also pointed out the district’s troubling financial situation, which resulted in a projected $9.6 million deficit. The board managed to adopt a balanced budget this year by using a one-time taxing authority reserved for use in natural disasters, which Saavedra called a “stop-gap.”
The letter also details a pattern of absenteeism, training noncompliance and missed governance goals among board members. Three trustees, for example, failed to complete required state training last year, according to the report, and several trustees have skipped critical board meetings, hampering decision-making and progress.
In total, the board held 21 meetings over the last year, with only one achieving full attendance.
“This blatant disregard for Texas law and lack of initiative in seeking growth opportunities gives me serious concerns about whether this board has the appropriate mindset or ability to govern the district effectively,” Saavedra wrote in the letter.
The recommendation is the latest and most severe escalation in a saga of state intervention stretching back years, with board infighting as a throughline.
The Texas Education Agency declined to comment on the letter Thursday, and Board President Manuel Lopez didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
