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Public commenter alleges favoritism, asks board to publish investigation findings and legal fees
Summary
A community member accused district officials of favoritism and retaliation, asked the board to place investigation results and legal-fee details on the next agenda and requested HR follow-up; the superintendent pledged no retaliation and said HR would investigate.
During the public-comment period, Tierra (Diana) Garza accused district officials of favoritism involving family members and friends, said she had prepared multiple pages of examples and asked the board to be transparent by placing the investigation's findings and all legal fees on the next meeting agenda.
"I have, like, 8 pages just on just a few a few examples of the favoritism," Garza said, and later asked trustees to consider restoring public-comment time from three back to five minutes. She also alleged a district manager told bus drivers that if they didn't like their job they could "go work at a caliche calichera," and requested an investigation and accountability.
Superintendent Dr. Rivera responded in the superintendent's report that HR would address concerns and pledged there would be no retaliation under his watch. Trustees referenced an earlier HR review that reported zero findings; multiple trustees emphasized the importance of addressing concerns properly and said they would follow up and report back to the community.
The board did not take immediate disciplinary action at the meeting; speakers asked for the written investigation results and a public accounting of legal fees, which Garza said she will also request via public-records request.
