Superintendent post placed on October agenda

By Jeff B. Flinn
Managing Editor

One is a longtime district administrator who knows the ins-and-outs of the district better than just about anyone.

The other is an up-and-comer who possesses a doctoral degree and is very popular with teachers and students in the district.

Both are now candidates for the superintendency of the Judson School District — yet neither can get a majority of board members to support him when it’s time to count votes.

Twice in the past two months, the Judson board of trustees has failed to choose between Dr. Marcus Nelson and Luis Rodriquez for its next interim superintendent. Next month, at its Oct. 4 meeting, the Judson board will be voting on a fulltime superintendent, scrapping the idea of hiring an interim director.

The most recent deadlocked vote came at its Sept. 20 meeting following a 90-minute executive session. A motion to appoint Nelson, currently Judson’s deputy/associate superintendent for instruction and student service, as the new district interim leader failed on a 3-3 vote, with board President Rick Mass abstaining.

In its Aug. 2 meeting, the board voted 4-3 against two motions, one to appoint Nelson as interim superintendent for a 90-day period, the other to install Luis Rodriguez, currently Judson’s associate superintendent of administrative services, as interim superintendent for a 4-month period.

Maas cast the deciding fourth “against” vote on each of the Aug. 2 motions.

“By putting anyone in there … by a 4-3 vote, we would not solve a single thing for this board or district,” Maas said at the time, adding, “We need to have at least five votes, preferably six or seven, to appoint an interim. And we weren’t going to get that, it became very obvious.”

At the Sept. 20 meeting, board member Johnny Harris offered the night’s only motion. He said the district may have already set its standard high, by choosing previous superintendents who possess doctoral degrees — a motion that would eliminate Rodriguez, who does not have a doctoral degree.

“We have two in-house candidates ... both are distinguished, well known in the district and provide us with valuable service,” Harris said, before offering his motion to appoint Nelson as interim superintendent.

Trustee Diane Gonzales-Bagley seconded the motion, and she and Harris were joined by board member June Adair in supporting the motion. Trustees Gilbert Flores, Joan Ohnheiser and Richard LaFoille voted against the measure.

Maas, again facing a 3-3 vote, told the two candidates, “Last time I voted against both of you; this time I will vote for neither of you.

If we trust you to be an interim superintendent, then we need to do it permanently,” Maas said. “If we’re going to do it … for an interim, it’s a waste of time.”

Maas abstained, the motion failed and the meeting adjourned, but not before Maas asked that a vote on a permanent superintendent be placed on the Oct. 4 agenda.