TEA removes South San ISD superintendent and board in district takeover
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The Texas Education Agency (TEA) took over South San Antonio ISD on Wednesday, citing years of governance failures and financial mismanagement in its removal of the elected board of trustees and superintendent Henry Yzaguirre.
Why it matters: South San ISD has faced decades of instability, with a history of leadership turnover and repeated state interventions.
- The district, which serves 7,400 students, includes a high school, three middle schools and eight elementary schools.
Between the lines: Abe Saavedra, TEA conservator, told the state months ago that elected trustees had a "blatant disregard for Texas law" and recommended a board of managers to create a clean break from the dysfunction, the Express-News reported.
- Saavedra was appointed in 2023 as an agreement that gave the district one year to address issues and avoid a state takeover.
How it works: A state-appointed board of managers, five of whom are district alumni, and new superintendent Saul Hinojosa will now take charge.
What's next: The board of managers will govern for at least two years before TEA evaluates whether to return control to elected trustees. The earliest an elected board could regain power is 2026, pending state approval.
What they're saying: "For far too long, the best interests of students and teachers in South San Antonio ISD were cast aside by many of the very adults elected to serve them, who instead worked in favor of their own self interests," Texas education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement.
- Former South San ISD board member Stacey Alderete, who resigned in 2023, told Axios she supports the takeover.
- "I just pray that whatever TEA puts in, that these kids finally get what they deserve. What's crazy to me is how long it took (for the takeover)," she said.
Steve Lecholop, TEA deputy commissioner for governance, told the Express-News that the decision "should not be viewed as an indictment on Mr. Yzaguirre."
- "He inherited an incredibly difficult task and did an admirable job holding the district together."
Zoom out: The takeover underscores TEA's growing role in district oversight. It's the 10th such intervention in Texas since 2000, according to the Express-News.
- The state seized control of Houston ISD, the state's largest district, Houston ISD, in 2023. The new leadership approved mass layoffs.
Zoom in: TEA expects minimal impact on South San ISD staff, Lecholop told the Express-News.
- South San Antonio AFT, the union representing district teachers, did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.