EPISD Superintendent’s Trouble A ‘Personal’ Problem?

When the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees placed indicted superintendent Dr. Lorenzo Garcia on unpaid administrative leave Thursday night, the school board president told the media the matter was a “personal situation.”

“It is separate and apart from the operations of the district,” said Isela Castaon-Williams.

ABC-7 visited Castaon-Williams at her home Friday and asked her to elaborate on that.

She said the allegations are against Garcia, alone.

Garcia is currently facing four federal charges of fraud and embezzlement against EPISD.

“The indictment is charging that he took personal actions, the district is not charged,” Castaon-Williams said.

She maintained the accusations have not impacted students and said EPISD continues to do well academically, being one of only three local districts to meet current federal education standards.

El Paso Federation of Teachers President Lucy Clarke told ABC-7 that she agrees that Garcia’s legal woes are personal, but she added they are not without effect.

“The district is without a superintendent,” she said.

As for Garcia’s suspension without pay, though she agrees with it, Clarke called the board’s decision surprising.

“Looking at his contract, I wasn’t sure they’d be able to do that,” she said.

Castaon-Williams said the decision to place Garcia on unpaid leave was made after constituents contacted their trustees.

“We received a lot of feedback,” she said. “There did not seem to be a great deal of support for a paid leave.”

The district’s current chief of staff, Dr. Terri Jordan, will take over as the interim superintendent.