Edinburg CISD places superintendent on five-day administrative leave after public safety and hiring complaints

The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District board placed Superintendent Dr. Maria Salinas on administrative leave for five days and approved an independent inquiry after public commenters raised allegations about hiring practices, campus sanitation and school safety.

The action followed several public comments at the board meeting in which community members urged termination or resignation. Marsha Gonzales, a public commenter, criticized district leadership and said of the superintendent: "rotten to the core," and listed allegations including what she described as hiring a cousin to a director-level post without an application, hiring staff without required certifications and an alleged $200,000 overpayment to a consultant classified to circumvent TRS hiring policies.

Why this matters: The board’s decision places the superintendent on short-term administrative leave while trustees seek further information. Public commenters named specific campus incidents, including a modified handgun brought to Edinburg North High School on May 6 and repeated flooding and sanitation problems at Canterbury Elementary, and said those incidents showed lapses in safety and facilities response.

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