Mendez assigned as math coach at VMA
By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Changes have been made.
After San Benito CISD School Board members went into closed session for over an hour at a regular meeting Monday, this in discussion of hourly personnel attendance and accountability and reassignment of professional staff, it was decided that three schools will have new principals to start the 2011-2012 school year.
“(Teresa) Servellon, the current principal at Ed Downs Elementary, will be going to the VMA,” said San Benito CISD Superintendent of Schools Antonio G. Limón. “Tim Moon (principal at Judge Oscar De La Fuente Elementary) will be moving to Ed Downs, and Mr. Ron Diaz, the Assistant Principal at Dr. Cash, will be moving to principal of Judge Oscar De La Fuente.”
Viewed by some as a controversial decision on Monday, the board also approved the reassignment of former Miller Jordan Principal Sam Mendez from the Gateway to Graduation Academy to the ninth grade Veterans Memorial Academy (VMA).
School Board President Yliana G, Rodriguez and Board Secretary June Aguilera spoke candidly on the matter of the Gateway/VMA reassignment.
“I would like to make a statement regarding (item) ‘D’, discussion of reassignment of professional staff,” said Rodriguez during the board meeting. “Just for the record, I am not in agreement with the move without further consideration of moving salary staff from Gateway to Veterans Memorial Academy.”
“I also agree with President Yliana Rodriguez,” added Aguilera before the adjournment of the board meeting.
When asked for further comment on the move of Mendez to VMA, Rodriguez said that she did not agree with the move “on a professional level.”
“There was just a lot of business to discuss, but it was a normal meeting,” said Limón. “She (Rodriguez) was within her rights to be on record, and so was Ms. Aguilera. Those reassignments are done routinely.”
Mendez was accused of sexual harassment in 2009 while principal at Miller Jordan Middle School, in which he admitted to “inappropriate activity” toward an adult employee that “rises to the level of sexual harassment.”
He was then reassigned to the Amador Rodriguez Juvenile Boot Camp and Education Center, where he worked as a teacher before moving to the Gateway Academy.
“He (Mendez) was a teacher at the Gateway Academy. He will be a Math Coach at VMA,” said Limón. “We need help in the Math Department at VMA, and Mr. Mendez is an excellent math teacher with a proven record of math teaching.”
Limón cited the release of preliminary TAKS scores, which revealed that the VMA will receive an “Unacceptable” rating, due in large part to low math scores.
“The fact that VMA is an unacceptable campus because of mathematics, the fact that Mr. Mendez has always been very strong in mathematics, when he was at San Benito High School for many years he was one of those responsible for the successes of San Benito High School before the TAKS, back when it was TAAS,” said Limón. “He was doing an excellent job at Gateway with a limited number of students. We just need him at a bigger capacity, working with teachers to be able to teach. He will not have a supervisory position. He is basically a math coach that will work with teachers to help them become better as far as their instruction of math. Ms. Servellon, the new principal there, is in favor of the move. It’s a lateral move.”
“When we look at moves, we look at moves to improve the quality of the educational program,” Limón continued. “We look at the strength of the people that we move into those positions, and we feel very comfortable with the moves. The people who are being moved are all willing and excited about the moves. We look forward to a great year, especially now with the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) and end of course coming in.”
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the June 15 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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I wish all the schools the best as they transition from TAKS to the new STAAR assessment. Parents, please take a real interest in your child’s education.
There are two math teachers working for SBCISD–Mr. Mendez and one other–who seem to have risen above the others in terms of pedagogical competence. Many are those in our beloved community who give Mr. Mendez credit for their ability to pass TAAS/TAKS and earn a high school diploma. Quite literally hundreds of people now have a high school diploma as a result of his efforts. These are people who otherwise would have had little chance to graduate. May Almighty God give him the wisdom to improve the ability of the other math teachers at VMA. He will be sorely missed at Gateway. His success is a manifestation and a concommitant of his exemplary character, a paragon for many.
The problem with VMA is that the students are not being adequately taught at a certain middle school cause its the hot bed for “bad teachers” and these are the students that make up more than half of the population at VMA, not to mention that once these students get to high school, including VMA, the teachers here feel that they are not responsible for the students learning, like the teachers that just make them take notes and never really teach the whole year. Well, now you see the results. Now you’re scrambling. What a shame! The district needs a better way of discerning teachers, the good teachers from the bad teachers.
I know Mr. Mendez and he has always been good at his job…..He has paid the price for his lack of judgement…maybe some people, weren’t meant to be principal..Is it not enough that he admitted his mistake and stripped of his title…now these 2 board members continue to humiliate him..I message to June…I am ashamed of you for being a follower…I supported you because we wanted to see a change on the board…but you have only shown so far to be a follower and not a leader…You feel you owe something to Mrs Rodriguez, but you don’t …Yes work together and agree and disagree but please don’t be anyones door mat….because that’s exactly what you sounding out to be..In your comments prior to being elected, you showed your immaturity, and your lack of knowledge of the school system, yet the public gave you a chance, don’t mess up, staying uninformed.
SB Parent…All you have heard are “those tendencies” that you say he had. Do you know about the other female party?? Have you seen and heard about her history? Have you seen the way she behaves when men are around??? SHE is disgusting! C’mon people. Why do they keep smearing Mr. Mendez name on newspapers, etc. Why don’t they smear her name and her history? Maybe if the media did that, people like SBParent and others would see his side of the story. At least Mr. Mendez manned up and admited that there was something going on.
Stay focused people.The problem here is MATH!! I am a concerned about this. If the superintendet is concerned he should also look at changes to Miller.
They received an acceptable rating this year. Why not check what the students at the VMA got when they were in 7th and 8th grade? Start with finding the source of the problem. Help the middle schools and you will help the VMA and ultimately the HS. Wake up Mr. Limon.
The only way to help Miller Jordan is to get rid of the principal. The teachers & students have no respect for him. There’s no order. If the teachers don’t respect him how do you expect the students to respect him. The teachers work hard. Some of the students don’t want to work and misbehave. Sending them to the office does nothing. Get rid of Rodriguez and I’m certain you’ll have better scores.
Mr. Limon will not wake up… he’s still dreaming. All the real good teachers leave because they are forced to. There are only a few good teachers left at Miller. The principal prefers male coaches or women to kiss up to him. Miller is a “how to not teach” school. They have science teachers helping with math, and they don’t even know how to teach science. People, wake up, it was said at the graduation that san benito is “shame benito”. Do you all want that reputation? Get rid of the superintendent and the principal at Miller. There have been three food fights in the last several months and he thinks he can be the students friends but when discipline is brought to his attention, he retaliates… look what happened to the science teacher when she told them about it, all because the ego is bigger than the whole school district’s reputation. Better scores will come when all those old teachers who get moved to Miller, cause nobody else wants them retire, and they stop rehiring retired ones. The kids are the ones suffering, after all, they need true direction, you have to set examples, and show them that drugs and misbehavior will not be tolerated. Zero Tolerance. You need someone with a back bone to run Miller and someone from out of the area so favoritism can stop.
Fired? Fired for what? Fired for admitting he was courting a female co-worker who by the way took two months to report it! Why didn’t she never press charges? Have you ever heard of consentual interaction?? Give me a break SB Parent! We must look at both sides of the story! I agree that Mr. Mendez made a mistake in choices, but how many other men and women are having affairs and cheating on their husbands and wifes? And how does this affect the children he will teach?? Mr. Mendez has an inpecapable record as a teacher and educator for our school district. I should know…he was my math teacher. Get over it people!!
Paid his dues? He should have been fired and should not be anywhere near any young women. From what I have heard he is a great math teacher, but I have also heard about the things he did at Miller and it is disgusting! I for one am not willing to give a man with those kinds of tendencies a second chance and run the risk of something worse happening! Especially with our children!!!
Mr. Mendez is an excellent Math Teacher! He deserves a second chance, and I am appauled at the reaction of these girl board members. Mr. Mendez admitted to his mistake and has paid his dues. Where is your compassion for forgiveness ladies?? gees! Mr. Mendez will bring VMA back to higher standard.