Pasadena ISD board meets in closed session to interview superintendent candidates

The Pasadena Independent School District Board of Trustees adjourned into a closed executive session on Feb. 11, 2025, to interview applicants and consider personnel recommendations related to the superintendent, according to the meeting minutes. The session was held pursuant to Texas Government Code sections 551.074 and 551.071 and followed a special meeting that began at 8:00 a.m. in the district administration building.

The minutes state the closed-session agenda included "the superintendent's recommendation to hire administrative personnel; and/or the superintendent's recommendations related to renewals, non-renewals, and terminations of contracts for professional personnel" and that the board conducted discussion and interviews of superintendent applicants. Board President Casey Phelan called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.; Paola Gonzalez is recorded as arriving at 8:20 a.m. and participating in the executive session. The board reconvened and adjourned the open session at 3:29 p.m., and the minutes do not record any open-session votes on superintendent hiring or contract actions.

The minutes explicitly cite the legal basis for the closed session: "Adjournment to Closed Session pursuant to Texas Government Code sections: 551.074 ... 551.071 to consult with district attorneys," language recorded in the minutes. The document gives no public details of deliberations or any public vote, consistent with the exemptions cited for personnel and attorney consultation.

Next steps were not recorded in the open minutes. The district did not include any public statements or final actions related to hiring in the posted minutes for this special meeting, and the minutes indicate that the matters discussed in closed session are those for which the law permits confidentiality.