VIDEO: EPISD Board Discusses Dr. Lorenzo Garcia’s Suspension

Weeks away from the new school year, the trustees for El Paso’s largest school district voted on a major change to their administration Thursday night.

Dr. Lorenzo Garcia, who has been the El Paso Independent School District’s superintendent since 2006, has been placed under indefinite unpaid administrative leave. The district’s current chief of staff, Dr. Terri Jordan, will take over as the interim superintendent.

Garcia is currently facing four federal charges of fraud and embezzlement against EPISD. The decision to place him on unpaid leave comes just two days after Garcia bonded out of the El Paso County jail.

EPISD’s board president, Isela Castanon-Williams, explained the board’s decision shortly after coming out of a closed session. “At this point given (Garcia’s) personal situation and the charges against him, he needs time to work on his personal situation and that’s going to take a great deal of time and focus on his part. It is our responsibility to move the district forward,” she said.