Fmr. Socorro ISD superintendent Xavier De La Torre reacts to audit

The former superintendent of the Socorro school district told the San Jose Mercury News the findings of the audit released Tuesday, which indicate 21 “anomalies” in the classification of students, were “overblown.”

“I don’t think anyone was attempting to circumvent state assessments,” he told the newspaper. “I’m disappointed that the (Socorro) board and superintendent have elevated and presented it as potential cheating. I don’t think it is.”

De la Torre served at SISD from 2009 to 2012, when he left the district to take the top position at the Santa Clara Unified School District near San Jose, California.

The audit evaluated students’ transcripts from 2009 to 2012, though auditor Pam Padilla acknowledged the practice that may have led administrators to classify students incorrectly originated during the tenure of former superintendent Sylvia Atkinson, Dr. De La Torres’ predecessor.

The anomalies, Padilla said, may have caused the state and federal accountability data to be incorrect.

To read what Dr. De La Torre’s explanation for the anomalies is, click here.