Tempers Boil Over At Tornillo ISD Board Meeting
Tempers boiled over at Monday’s special meeting of the Tornillo Independent School District as several verbal fights and one physical incident erupted shortly after the meeting wrapped up.
The meeting attracted more community members than usual, most of them still upset over an April 3 decision to shut off a community Internet service for homes provided by the district.
Some people blamed Superintendent Paul Vranish for the internet blackout while others blamed three board members who refused to go along with the superintendent’s conditions to keep it.
During the meeting, accusations and insults were exchanged between board members. However, after the meeting, several different verbal fights splintered off.
At one point, the Sheriff’s Office was called out to take a report because a woman claimed someone had tried to punch her.
ABC-7 attended the meeting because Monday marked TISD’s deadline to respond to a preliminary audit by the Texas Education Agency. That audit accuses Vranish of misusing district funds for district gain. Vranish denies those allegations.
The TEA required that all board members sign off on the district’s response through a vote before sending it to the TEA. However, as of Monday, the board could not reach a consensus.
One board member told ABC-7 Vranish said he would send the audit response in spite of the board’s disapproval, which is contrary to the TEA’s directive. Vranish would not confirm this as he continues avoiding ABC-7’s interview requests. The district’s attorney did not return ABC-7’s calls.
