The South San Antonio Independent School District is the latest to cancel its election after only one person filed to run in each of the four trustee races set to expire.
Of the four seats up for election, three are being held by incumbents, while another is being filled by a newcomer after a controversial trustee at the center of multiple scandals chose not to file for reelection.
Abel “Chillidogg” Martinez Jr., who serves as a trustee for District 5, was a key figure in critical reports filed to the Texas Education Agency by Abe Saavedra, who was appointed by the state to monitor the board after complaints of dysfunction and infighting.
Those reports were later used as evidence in investigations that ended in a settlement between the TEA and the district to increase the power of Saavedra to direct the board’s actions as a conservator, incensing Martinez.
Martinez declined to provide a comment Monday on his decision not to run. Instead, he pointed to previous comments made to other media outlets.
Running unopposed for his seat, is Elsa Gonzales, according to paperwork filed Aug. 26.
The one year anniversary of the settlement between the district and the TEA is fast approaching, and with it, a deadline to meet certain “exit criteria” set by Saavedra to avoid even more state intervention in the form of a board of managers. One of those mandates was to adopt a balanced budget, which the district has struggled to do despite closing multiple campuses.
While the tense board meetings of last year have mostly mellowed out, there is still work to be done.
With absenteeism of board members cited by the TEA and Saavedra, the South San ISD board is seeking the removal of another trustee, Shirley Ibarra, over her chronic absences over the last year.
If they are successful, they could appoint a replacement, or hold a special election for the remainder of that term.
Disagreements that hallmark Martinez’ tenure ranged from issues over school closures and school finance, to the dress code for board members. In one testy exchange, Board President Manuel Lopez chided the trustee for the way he dressed, calling him a clown.
In response, supporters of the trustee, including a former board member, appeared at an October meeting dressed as clowns.
During another board meeting last year, Martinez entered into an executive session and began to berate Superintendent Henry Yzaguirre “about a mysterious package that had been delivered for him to the district’s administrative offices.”
After an exchange of yelling, the district police chief was called into the room and a criminal complaint was later filed. The complaint resulted in the arrest of Martinez at a later date, although those charges were dropped.
In a recent interview with the San Antonio Express-News, the outgoing trustee said the arrest has had a lasting impact.
“There’s never a time that I walk onto a South San property or go to a board meeting that I’m not thinking, ‘Are they going to throw me in jail again?’” he told the paper.
Three incumbents: District 2 Trustee Ernesto Arellano Jr., District 3 Trustee Homer Flores Jr. and District 7 Trustee Jose Araiza, will retain their seats.
Araiza was appointed to the District 7 seat after another former trustee, Stacey Alderete, stepped down to focus on recovering from an illness.
The district joins East Central ISD, which canceled all but one planned November election for lack of challengers.
South San isn’t the only board to see drama and turnover, with resignations and appointments occurring at districts across San Antonio in recent months.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of elections canceled by East Central ISD.
