Edcouch-Elsa superintendent suspended with pay

EDCOUCH - The Edcouch-Elsa school board voted Monday to suspend Superintendent Michael Sandroussi with pay, citing past "mismanagement" of district funds and his month-long absence in the midst of a financial crisis.

The trustees' decision - which came after a 20 minute closed door meeting - elicited applause and cat calls from gathered community members.

The embattled school chief has come under heavy criticism in recent months from teachers and parents who say he should shoulder the blame for the $10 million shortfall with which the district started the school year.

But despite the hostile atmosphere, Sandroussi took the news with his usual aplomb, describing the suspension as "unfortunate."

"I've been here almost six and a half years, and we've done a lot with the little resources we had," he said. "Edcouch-Elsa is a really neat place."

Monday's 4-3 vote came as little surprise. Rumors of Sandroussi's departure had been swirling through the Delta ever since a new majority voting block took control of the school board in November.

The superintendent, who joined the district in 2003, worked closely with the old regime, which has since been blamed for the excessive staff hiring and overspending that has forced the district to lay off more than 220 employees in the last two months.

Despite making strides to address the financial mess since then, the new board still owes an estimated $5 million to various creditors and continues to operate under the watchful eye of a financial conservator assigned by the Texas Education Agency.

Sandroussi was largely seen as an impediment to continued progress, said board member Florestela Rodriguez, an outspoken critic of the superintendent.

"The district had to move forward," she said. "Somebody had to pay."

Sandroussi had previously said he was eager to work with the new board and publicly the trustees maintained they were also prepared to cooperate with him. In private, however, they continued to criticize his failures to curb school spending and referred to him as a "puppet" of their predecessors.

Some of that antagonism bubbled to the surface Monday, when they granted him only 15 minutes after the meeting to clear out his office and hand over his keys.

"We have to go back and really understand the situation," board member Fernando Torres said. "We have to make sure that everything we need will be there."

Assistant Superintendent Frank Perez, who has led the school system during the past month, will continue in his current role, district officials said. He took over the top job in January, after Sandroussi left on a month-long leave of absence.

Because the suspended superintendent remains under contract, the board could not vote to fire him without paying for the duration of his agreement with the district. He is expected to continue collecting his paycheck until the trustees vote to reinstate him, he resigns or his contract expires.

With an annual base pay of $160,000 in the 2007-2008 school year, Sandroussi is one of the highest-paid superintendents among similarly sized Valley school districts.

As he quickly left Monday's meeting to pack up what remained of his office, he gave no indication of whether he intended to leave quietly.

"We'll see what happens," he said. "We'll take it one day at a time."

Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.