Demoted employees sue La Joya schools, claiming political retaliation

LA JOYA — Four La Joya schools employees have sued the district and the superintendent in federal court, claiming they were demoted from high-level administrative positions for political reasons.

The district reassigned Maria Aleman, Judith Solis, Irma Villalon and Rebecca Villarreal last summer, shortly after a new majority on the school board came into power.

The four women had been longtime friends and political supporters of former superintendent Filomena Leo, who resigned in exchange for a monetary settlement last summer after the board approved a legal investigation into her job performance.

In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, the women argue that their association with Leo and the political machine run by her husband, La Joya Mayor Billy Leo, put them in disfavor with the new superintendent, Alda T. Benavides, and three board members who won election in May on a platform criticizing the Leos’ influence in the district.

School district attorney Roberto Jackson said Thursday the suit has no merit and called it a “waste of school resources, time and energy.” He said the women were reassigned in the best interest of the district.

The lawsuit is the first from any of the numerous employees demoted or reassigned last summer in what the lawsuit calls “a much publicized campaign” to reward allies of the new board majority and punish those who had not supported them in their campaigns. At least two other high-level administrators demoted during the summer and fall have indicated they would file separate lawsuits.

The lawsuit accuses Benavides, as an individual and as the superintendent, of conspiring with board members to demote the women and retaliate against them.

Benavides, through district spokeswoman Lizette Martinez, declined to comment Wednesday afternoon.

Her predecessor, Filomena Leo, also declined to comment, saying, “I would not want to do anything to jeopardize the outcome either way.”

The women’s lawyer, Larry Esparza, did not return a message left on his cell phone Thursday and had a secretary call about 6 p.m. to say he had left for the day.

Earlier this week he said he planned to file the suit in federal court because the matter involves the women’s constitutional right to due process as well as to free speech, which he argues was violated as a result of the alleged political retaliation.

The women’s salaries have not changed with their reassignments but are slated for cuts at the end of this school year.

Some of the women went through the district’s formal grievance process, but Esparza said he will argue that the cards were stacked against his clients because of their political affiliations.

Their lawsuit seeks damages to compensate for the pay cuts, cover attorney fees and “deter (Benavides and the school district) from repeating such wrongful acts.”

Kaitlin Bell covers Mission, western Hidalgo County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4446.