The Socorro Independent School District accepted extreme state oversight “to improve the public’s trust in us, in spite of the challenges that we’re facing,” the school board president said Thursday. He just can’t say what those challenges are.
“Only (the Texas Education Agency) can release that information when their final report is in,” board President Michael Najera said at a news conference at district headquarters, two days after the board voted unanimously to accept a conservator appointed by TEA who would wield strong oversight power in Socorro ISD.
The school board has said little about what led to the conservator appointment, and Najera’s news conference provided little additional information.
The agenda item at Tuesday’s school board meeting that led to the acceptance of the conservator listed eight different case numbers for TEA investigations of the district between 2020 and 2023.
Steve Blanco, Socorro ISD’s attorney, told the board Tuesday night that TEA had offered the district a proposed agreement to settle the investigations. The offer included an appointment of one or more conservators by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, and release of a final report into the investigations.
When asked what he knew about the nature of the investigations, Najera said: “They’ve offered the investigation numbers that you have seen and the conservatorship, and that they will issue a final report when they’re ready to issue it.”
The agency has not yet announced the appointment of a conservator. When the conservator arrives, she or he will have the power to direct action by a principal, superintendent or trustees. The conservator also has veto power over decisions made by the school board or administrators.
“Conservators support, coach and recommend actions for a school system to take to improve the area of deficiency in which they were appointed. The job of a conservator is to guide the school district in correcting any identified deficiencies and ensure sustainable systems are developed and operating for future student and educator success,” TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky said.
Appointment of a conservator to oversee a school district or charter school is a rare step by TEA.
This week, the agency placed IDEA Public Schools into conservatorship after an investigation found improper spending. IDEA, the state’s largest charter system, has campuses in El Paso.
In 2023, TEA announced plans to place the Austin Independent School District in conservatorship because of failures serving special education students. But the district and state agency later negotiated a settlement to appoint two monitors who advise the district but have fewer powers than a conservator.
The agency assigned a conservator and a board of managers in 2012 to oversee El Paso Independent School District after finding that the former superintendent and other administrators had engaged in a scheme to deprive students of their civil rights, and the school board had failed to properly govern the district.
The conservator appointment is reviewed by TEA at least every three months, but could be effective for years. State oversight of EPISD lasted more than two years.
Najera stressed at Thursday’s news conference that TEA was not appointing a board of managers, which would remove elected school board members from office.
TEA guidelines say a conservator can be appointed when a district or charter school fails to meet state standards for academic performance or financial accountability, or on the basis of special investigations, which usually focus on malfeasance by top administrators or school board members.
The TEA has awarded Socorro ISD top marks for academic performance and financial accountability in recent years, making that an unlikely explanation for appointment of a conservator.
The agency has conducted eight separate special investigations of Socorro since 2020, according to Tuesday’s agenda. Najera said he didn’t know if the investigations focused on administrators or school board members.
“We understand there are several investigations ongoing, and if TEA is proposing a conservatorship, then there must be some findings that they feel need correction,” Najera said.
He said the conservatorship is not related to the district’s financial challenges, including a deficit currently estimated at $33 million. Socorro ISD will have to pay the salary and travel costs for a conservator.
The district will also have to search for a new superintendent because Nate Carman resigned to take a job in Arizona. He will remain in his job until June 30.
The Socorro chapter of the American Federation of Teachers criticized the board’s decision to accept the appointment of a conservator.
“Socorro AFT demands a full accounting of what led to this dramatic decision about the future of our district,” Veronica Hernandez, president of the teachers’ union, said in a prepared statement.
When asked about the union criticism, Najera repeated that the district faces challenges. “We can continue to ignore them, we can continue to fight them. But the simple fact of the matter is when you know that there’s a possibility that you did something wrong, why would you not want to address it face first?” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized the extent of the conservator’s power. The conservator can direct actions and overrule decisions by adminstrators and the school board, but governance of the district remains with the school board and administration.
This story has been updated with comment from the Texas Education Agency, and with additional information about TEA’s 2023 plan to appoint a conservator in Austin Independent School District.
