Grand Prairie ISD fires superintendent without ever fully explaining why
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The Grand Prairie Independent School District’s new superintendent has officially been fired just six months after he was hired.
School board members voted 5-2 during a special meeting on Monday night to terminate Dr. Jorge Arredondo "for the reasons discussed in closed session."
They had to listen to an onslaught of public comments after that.
"I think we need to be honest about this entire situation," said Alfred Castillo, a Grand Prairie resident.
"I believe you have made a huge error. This man came to make changes. He started making the changes, and he got kicked out, which is not correct," said Lupe Castillo, another resident.
"He’s here to worry about change and fix the independent school district here in Grand Prairie. Now, look at your records. You are not doing that great. You haven’t been doing that great for some time. He’s here to change that. And if you don’t give the man the power to do that, you’re going to be forever failures. You’re going to fail," added Gil Cerda, a Grand Prairie ISD grandparent.
Dr. Arredondo has been on paid leave for nearly three months for reasons that have never been explained fully.
Grand Prairie ISD superintendent's job in limbo after order blocking his firing expires
The temporary restraining order preventing the district from terminating Dr, Jorge Arredondo's contract is no longer in effect after the district's motion to move the case to federal court. His lawyer says the move leave's him vulnerable once again to being fired.
Only court documents have indicated he’s accused of violating the district’s discrimination, harassment, and retaliation policy.
At least one public commenter talked about the information from the court case surrounding the matter.
"The outside independent firm conducted more than 40 interviews with district personnel, held a 2 ½ hour interview with Dr. Arredondo during which he was accompanied by legal counsel. So, any claim that he didn’t know what the allegations were is simply not true," said Rodney Anderson, a former state representative.
Arredondo sued the board for breach of contract and received a court order preventing the district from firing him. But that temporary restraining order became invalid when the board petitioned for the case to be moved to federal court.
Grand Prairie ISD parents call for transparency in superintendent investigation
Concerned parents in Grand Prairie are calling for transparency after the district’s superintendent was placed on leave. He’s under investigation, but only trustees know why.
"The board is not giving him an opportunity to defend his actions performed during the brief time he has been our superintendent," said Gracie Cortez, a resident.
Arredondo’s attorney released a statement following the board’s decision to fire him.
"This is an ill-advised decision that will only result in further legal action against the district and individual board members… Dr. Arredondo is obviously disappointed, as are many in the Grand Prairie community. However, he remains confident that his name will be cleared and the motivations behind this wrongful termination will be exposed," the statement said.
Arredondo was hired on June 24.
It's unclear if he plans to appeal his termination.