One week after placing new Grand Prairie Superintendent Jorge Arredondo on leave, the school board responded to community concerns at a meeting Thursday.
“As far as the investigation goes, this board will continue to stand on policy and provide due process. So trust me, we want to be as transparent as possible in every aspect,” said President Amber Moffitt.
The comments came after more than a dozen parents and community members came forward during a public comment period calling for transparency, with some urging the district to reinstate Arredondo.
"I'm kind of confused. You all unanimously hired him and now you've suspended him,” said Alfred Castillo, who raised children and now grandchildren in the district.
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"You see somebody who looks like you, it's a superintendent, and your kids start dreaming,” Maggie Walters told trustees.
Walters, whose five children have attended Grand Prairie ISD, was among the parents who stood beside members of LULAC, saying the Spanish-speaking Arredondo brought something to the predominantly Hispanic district that it previously lacked.
"The board went to a lot of trouble. They did the right thing. They chose the right steps to choose a person who I was so excited to see represent my kids,” she said.
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Last week, the board announced it placed Arredondo on paid leave, saying it was to "protect the district and Arredondo."
At that time, the board said a third party would conduct an independent investigation. It's yet to publicly accuse Arredondo of any wrongdoing.
"That to me is a concern and that's what I want them to be transparent about. There has to be accountability,” said Walters.
Arredondo has been in Grand Prairie for less than three months. He previously served as the superintendent of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD. After he left, the district opened a forensic audit to determine how Arredondo was spending money.
Before that, Arredondo served as an assistant superintendent in Houston ISD, leaving the same year the TEA first tried to take over the district for underperformance.
Now, amid new controversy, some question the selection process that put him here.
“Within a time period that our students have not even received a progress report, we’re at a point where the superintendent is placed on administrative leave. This is not good for the district. It’s not good for our children. We have to do better than this. We demand better than this,” said former Education Foundation Member Ed Gray.
During public comment, trustees couldn’t respond directly to those addressing them.
However, a few commented at the end that their goal is for this investigation to come to a swift conclusion with due diligence for both Arredondo and the district.
