GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — During a Monday board meeting, Grand Prairie ISD voted 5-2 to fire Superintendent Jorge Arredondo.
After a closed-door session, board members moved to terminate Arredondo's contract with the district. The two opposing votes came from Trustee David Espinosa and Trustee Gloria Carrillo, who have both publicly supported Arredondo in previous meetings.
“After a thorough investigation and the advice of legal counsel, I am confident that we made the right decision based on policy and the Texas Education Code,” said GPISD Board President Amber Moffitt.
District officials say Deputy Superintendent of Business Operations Tracy Ray will continue as acting superintendent and next steps will be announced later.
Arredondo's attorney released the following statement after the board's vote:
"This is an ill-advised decision that will only result in further legal action against the district and individual board members. Throughout his brief tenure Dr. Arredondo acted solely in the interests of the district’s students and faculty, and no credible evidence has been produced that he violated any district policy. Dr. Arredondo is obviously disappointed, as are many in the Grand Prairie community. However, he remains confident that his name will be cleared and the motivations behind this wrongful termination will be exposed."
The motion comes after months of deliberation, meetings and closed-door sessions surrounding Arredondo's future with the district.
Arredondo was named lone finalist for GPISD superintendent on May 28, and has been on the district's payroll since July 8. In September, the board placed Arredondo on administrative leave, pending an investigation into an alleged violation of a policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment.
In October, the GPISD board voted to move forward with the separation from Arredondo after learning the results of the investigation. The details around the policy violation have been sparse, and district parents and community members have been critical of GPISD for a lack of transparency surrounding the investigation.
It was also revealed that two other administrators that Arredondo brought with him to the district were put on paid leave just one day after the superintendent.
In October, Arredondo filed a lawsuit against GPISD, accusing the Board of Trustees of wrongfully placing him on leave and making defamatory statements.
He described the district's investigation into his conduct as a “witch hunt” and claimed the district does not have good cause to terminate his contract. Grand Prairie ISD and members of the Board of Trustees are named in the filing.
"I am deeply committed to the students, staff, and community of Grand Prairie ISD,” Arredondo said in a press release after filing the lawsuit. “It is essential that we uphold the principles of fairness and due process to maintain the integrity of our educational system and return our collective focus to providing exceptional educational opportunities for every student."
It is unclear how much, if any, compensation Arredondo will be entitled to upon his contract's termination.
Arredondo's contract includes a "good cause" termination clause in which the district's board may fire him for any number of reasons, including "failure to fulfill duties or responsibilities" of the job. A number of other reasons that would justify firing for good cause were outlined in the contract.
Also, the contract said that if Arredondo's contract was voided or terminated for any reason then he would be paid for days worked prior to the date of termination but not be entitled to further compensation or benefits, unless agreed upon by him and the district. It was unclear if Arredondo and the district agreed to compensation terms not outlined in the contract.