Uvalde CISD approves 2022-2023 budget as pressure builds to investigate district’s police officers

   The Uvalde CISD School board met Monday night to present. review and vote on the 2022-2023 school budget and compensation plan for the district’s employees as well as consider the effective school  tax rate for the 2022-2023 school year.  A Town Hall Meeting was scheduled as the second of the three meetings where speakers were given extended time to speak to the superintendent and school board members and ask them questions.

  While Monday night’s series of meetings had fewer citizens attending, at the Town Hall Meeting, the speakers present including Jesse Rizo, Diana Olvedo-Karau, Rosenberg Risa,  and Laura Garza and Berlinda Arreola and others who delivered stinging criticism against the board for not starting the investigation of the district’s police department officers and for keeping four of the district officers as the new school year begins in one week’s time. Superintendent Harrell received condemnation for promoting Hernandez to Interim Police Chief heading the force until the district hires a new Uvalde CISD Police Chief.

  Kimberly Rubio was joined by Brett Cross, Javier Cazares and others in listing security changes which if they were in effect on May 24th could have saved the lives of many students and teachers who were murdered or injured,  As Rubio spoked the listed recommendations, another speaker followed with the names of the victims who could have been saved.

  Town Hall Speakers also criticized the school board for not securing Uvalde High School, pointing out the campus is very open and students who are 18 years old could legally purchase the same weapon the shooter used in the May 24th massacre.

   “Matters haven’t been settled yet. Mario turned the mic back on and he got lectured. You have to start somewhere, ” Jesse Rizo said. Rizo was referring to last week’s school board meeting on Wednesday, August 24th where the auditorium microphone was turned after the school board convened into closed executive session.

   “Consider suspending the current officers of the school district. All four of them were at Robb Elementary. You have decided to appoint Mr. Hernandez as your interim chief. This is insulting,” Diana Olvedo-Karau said.

   “The current systematic review of the the Uvalde CISD police department; who made the decision to reach to James McLaughlin?” Manuel Rizo asked

  ” I made the decision to reach out to him,” Superintendent Harrell answered

   “The investigation has not started yet,” Manuel Rizo asked.

   “It has not,” Harrell said.

  Deyanira Salazar spoke about a 1st year teacher she knew who had  applied for a teaching job with the district a month and a half to two months ago and had not heard back from the district on the status of her job application. Salazar also brought up the history of the school board and how the district’s budgeted money gets misallocated and even disappears.

 “I cannot stand it seeing cops just talking to each other . I’ve seen it many times: at the Honey Bowl. Back in the day, cops would go in!

Now we have students with jeans hanging off their butt and no one says a thing. If we don’t get things under control? We can’t teach,” Salazar said.

  As part of the increased security, Superintendent Harrell stated that 33 additional DPS Officers would be assisting the district’s police department. In the event of an emergency situation, the DPS officers would be the first responders. He went on to say the additional DPS officers would spend Sunday and Monday familiarizing themselves with the campuses. 

   At the last of Monday night’s scheduled meeting, the school board voted to approve the 2022-2023 district budget as presented and approved the compensation plan for district jobs in which many but not all jobs would see an increase in pay.

  During the discussion of the compensation plan, board member Cal Lambert objected to the low pay rate for teacher’s aides listed in the proposed budget. Citing that teacher’s aids often are called to teach and attend training sessions, he said the proposed pay rate was too low. “

  “Teachers aides can go to Applebee’s and wash dishes and make more money there. They have a valuable job,” Cal Lambert said. 

  Board member JJ Suarez later spoke approvingly of what Lambert said. The board approved the compensation plan allowing for an adjustment in pay for teacher’s aides.