SAN ANTONIO – Tensions boiled over during Wednesday night’s South San Antonio ISD school board meeting when a trustee was escorted out of the meeting by a campus police officer.
The meeting was the third special meeting this year where trustees were set to vote on closing schools in an effort to reduce the district’s $12 million debt.
The only item on the agenda was to consider closing West Campus High School, which has the highest operational costs. If the school is kept open, the board must also consider whether to complete millions of dollars in renovations to it.
“It’s gonna cost us another $5 million to finish renovations, if we are going to keep it open,” South San ISD Board Trustee Ernesto Arrellano said.
Board members criticized Board President Homer Flores for not extending the amount of time trustees could speak.
“I felt like yesterday was a circus of a meeting,” South San ISD Board Trustee Shirley Ibarra said.
During the meeting, Trustee Ernesto Arrellano requested a motion to speak about West Campus being removed from consideration in a previous agenda. In response, Flores threatened to have him removed.
“If you ask again, I am going to ask that you be removed because you are being disruptive,” Flores said during the meeting.
Shortly after, Trustee Manuel Lopez asked for more time to speak, but Flores requested his microphone to be cut off. Then Lopez was escorted out by district police. He did not respond to our request for an interview.
“Sir, I am going to have to ask you to stop right there,” Flores said. “What or you are going to escort me out,” Lopez responded.
While Lopez was being escorted out, Ibarra walked out of the meeting.
“I just felt like the board president was going overboard and not letting my fellow trustees speak,” Ibarra said.
So far Athens and Kindred Elementary schools and Kazen Middle School are scheduled for closure.
The board is currently under investigation by the Texas Education Agency for dysfunction in the past. KSAT reached out to the TEA monitor, board president and superintendent but none of them have responded.
The next meeting date has not yet been set.
Wednesday’s full meeting can be seen here.