PSJA community saddened, angry over school board scandal

PHARR — Some members of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo community had heard rumors over the past year of a potential school board scandal.

But most were shocked Tuesday to learn there was some truth to those rumors.

Advance warning or not, an air of sadness and disappointment settled over the PSJA community Wednesday, as residents came to terms with revelations of a federal indictment against their school district superintendent and three school board members on a laundry list of bribery and extortion charges relating to district construction and employee health insurance contracts.

Retiring PSJA Superintendent Arturo Guajardo and three school board members — Vangie Garcia-De Leon, Roy Navarro and Roy Rodriguez — accepted bribes of cash, vacations, sex and entertainment in exchange for funneling projects to a preferred group of Rio Grande Valley businessmen, according to a grand jury indictment,

“Of course, it’s shocking to hear this — you never want to see anybody smeared,” said Yvonne Benavides, a 31-year-old San Juan resident and PSJA teacher who declined to identify at which campus she works.

“They are stakeholders in the community, you know. They’ve got families. So that’s a shame.”

Concern for the families of the indicted was a common sentiment among several residents as they went about their daily routines Wednesday.

Yet others were angry elected officials may have abused their power.

“They started with nothing like everybody else and then they started getting power. And instead of helping people, instead of helping the community, they acted for their own benefit,” said Luis Cardenas, 31, of Pharr.

Still, longtime community member and Pharr Mayor Leo “Polo” Palacios said despite the charges, at least some of the indicted board members have done good work for the community. Navarro’s work with the Pharr Housing Authority was one example to which he pointed.

But the mayor also acknowledged the loss of trust felt by some in the community.

“I’m sure there will be some unrest,” Palacios said. “A lot of people have lost confidence in people getting elected to office. But that doesn’t happen every day and not everybody thinks like this. You can’t have a blanket misconception of elected officials.”

The indictments unsealed Tuesday seemed to deal a final blow of confidence to a district that has been rocked by federal authorities’ two-year investigation into the school board’s contracts. Some teachers and parents even went so far as to say they feel left in a shambles.

But amid the unrest and dismay, there is also hope that incoming superintended Daniel King will serve as a salve for a community in need of healing. Hailed as an innovative leader and recognized across the state for his achievements with the Hidalgo school district, King had accepted the position as Guajardo’s successor before the latest PSJA scandal broke Tuesday.

“He’s notorious for being somebody who can see what the needs of the community are,” said Benavides, the San Juan resident and PSJA teacher. “Hopefully he’ll see that we are going to probably need some patchwork. …

“Hopefully he is going to start first and foremost with our students and thinking of his staff. We’re just going to have to see how it plays out, and we’re hoping it plays out for the best.”

____

Carlyn Mitchell covers Edinburg, the Delta region and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach this reporter at (956) 683-4439.