South San Antonio ISD board finds three employees abandoned contracts; authorizes complaints to state certification board

The South San Antonio ISD Board of Trustees on Jan. 26 voted, following closed-session deliberations, to find that "good cause did not exist" for three employees to have abandoned their employment contracts and authorized the superintendent to file written complaints with the State Board for Educator Certification.

In open session the board made separate motions and roll-call votes concerning three employees: Pauline Garcia, Joanne Juarez and James Hunter. For each employee the motion stated the board’s finding under Texas Education Code sections 21.105 and 21.21 and authorized the superintendent to file a complaint with the State Board for Educator Certification and to issue written notice to the staff member.

Roll-call results recorded by the board were:
- Pauline Garcia: motion passed on recorded roll call with all trustees voting yes.
- Joanne Juarez: motion passed with a roll-call tally of five yes, one no (Jesus Rendon III) and one abstention (Adrian Guerra).
- James Hunter: motion passed on recorded roll call with a majority of trustees voting yes.

Board materials cited Texas Education Code authorities and the motions were made and seconded in open session; the board followed the legal process described on the agenda when returning from closed session.

The board’s action authorizes the superintendent to file complaints with the State Board for Educator Certification; the record reflects the board’s formal findings but does not itself impose criminal sanctions. The district will issue written notices and proceed with the administrative steps authorized by the board.

Next steps: the superintendent’s office will file the authorized complaints and issue notice letters to the named employees; any further proceedings will follow state administrative processes.