SAN ANTONIO – Dr. Joe Gonzales has taken over as interim superintendent of the Southside Independent School District after former Superintendent Ricardo Vela was placed on administrative leave Thursday.
Gonzales was put on the spot Friday during a press conference about an indictment he faced in San Angelo in 2002.
"It happened," Gonzales said. "The allegation was that I had taken money. It took a number of years and a lot of money, but at the end of it was an apology from the DA, which I can make available to you."
The district supplied a copy of the apology letter Gonzales referenced. It states there was no wrongdoing found on the part of Gonzales.
Click here to read the full letter.
Gonzales said the charges against him were dropped.
"I have never tried to run from that," Gonzales said. "I'm very proud of what I stood up for and what got us into those situations in the first place."
Gonzales made it a point to say the district is in very good shape financially and he credits Vela for that. He also said it's time for the district to move forward.
"We have kids here that have a lot of potential, but they haven't been able to demonstrate that potential because we've had a lot of change," Gonzales said. "We have to get some consistency and be persistent with what we believe."
Gonzales previously served as the deputy superintendent and chief of staff for Southside ISD.
As far as placing Vela on administrative leave, the board did not cite a reason.
A week ago, the board voted to keep Vela after initially citing concerns he had been hired without superintendent certification.
