By DINA ARÉVALO and PETE BANDA
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
In a statement released to the NEWS, Dr. Mark A. Puig has announced his resignation as superintendent of schools for San Benito CISD. His resignation is effective August 14.
The statement reads,
I am so proud of San Benito CISD and encouraged by our rapid turnaround, so it is very difficult for me to announce that I am stepping down as superintendent of San Benito CISD effective Friday, August 14th. After long and prayerful consideration, I know that this is the best decision for me and my family. In my short time leading our district we have made some extraordinary achievements. I will be presenting the board with a balanced budget for 2015-2016, the first in several years. We have begun the transition from an insolvent health care plan to one that is sustainable. The board should be commended for these tough decisions. San Benito CISD is now in position to excel and I know that things will continue to improve. I am grateful for the opportunity to have led San Benito CISD and the warmth and kindness that has been shown to my wife and I. We will keep the district in our prayers.
Puig was hired by the District in December of 2014 and began officially on Jan. 5 of this year. His hiring came after a protracted process that eventually led the District to seek the services of an outside firm, Waterford School Services Inc., to aid in their search.
In a statement issued by the District in December, Puig expressed optimism at taking the helm in San Benito, saying, “I firmly believe that by working together, we will become the destination district, not only in the Valley, but in the entire State of Texas.”
However, soon after his arrival, serious financial problems within the District began to surface. “I think we were all stunned. I don’t think I could have anticipated the magnitude of the financial catastrophe we were facing,” Puig said in an interview Thursday.
The District began the 2014-2015 school year with a $700,000 budget deficit. That, combined with issues with the District’s health insurance provider, and over staffing meant the District was facing a financial crisis tallied in the millions of dollars.
Once he was aware of the problem, he began seeking a way to fix it. Puig outlined possible solutions to the financial woes in a column addressed to San Benito tax payers in February. Some of those suggestions — staff realignments and layoffs — were implemented. Others, such as switching the District to the Texas Teacher Retirement System (TRS), were not.
Just this week, however, Puig announced that the District was on the road to financial solvency.
Anna Cruz, president of the board of directors, expressed sadness at the news. The District is expected to release a statement shortly.
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Why would this school district even consider a “recycled, re-tread” superintendent when I am sure there is plenty of “fresh” talent in the state???
Dr. Puig, fight the fight. You are not alone. We need your leadership.
How is it that Anna and Joe are speaking out on a decision that has not been discussed or voted on? Dr. Puig apparently did submit a letter of resignation, but he has also recanted before the meeting to accept or reject his resignation. What is the problem? There is no need to have a meeting on Saturday.
Dr. Puig is not the first to turn in a letter of resignation . Just this year, we had two administrators turn in a letter of resignation;it was officially accepted;they were hired by HCISD ;and returned to SBCISD in the blink of an eye. Both of these individuals returned to San Benito with higher pay and all without any hassles – no application- no interviews- no loss in turn over time. Hmmmmmm?
Dr. Puig is what we need in San Benito CISD. His agenda is to bring us and our children back to the glory and pride we once had in our academics and achievements. Keep him and let him do his job!
What is your agenda Anna and Joe? I doubt we will get an honest answer. it seems like decisions are being made outside of the board’s official meetings.
I believe it was a 5-1 vote on both items on the agenda. People like you will believe anything you hear.
This is bologna! Anna and Joe you are not being honest with your intentions. Dr. Puig needs to be here. He will make San Benito CISD the best place to be for students and staff.
So now we are going to criticize Dr Smetter based on her choice of handbag? Again, we are seeing people’s critiques based on items without any true substance.
At this point, after all of the terrible press our district has gotten in recent years, and with the obvious friction between the position of district superintendent and board of trustees, do we think candidates are going to be knocking down the doors of our admin building begging for a chance at the position???? Not to mention that in just recent days the salaries of two superintendents in neighboring 4A districts were published in VMS, both of which being higher than the current superintendent salary in our 6A district. San Benito would be beyond lucky to have someone with the credentials of Dr. Smetter willing to take on the interim/replacement superintendent position.
I have known Dr. Smetter for many years. I worked under her when she was at Harlingen CISD. Wilma will represent the students and staff very well. I can attest to that. She was very well respected by the staff and students during her tenure at Harlingen CISD. She is an experienced administrator who can lead San Benito in the right direction. Her vision and philosophy is nothing but the best for the students and staff of San Benito CISD. San Benito school board members, I recommend that you hire her, I believe you will not be disappointed. She will be a very active and visible superintendent. She is a motivator. Congratulations! if you decide to hire her. I am still an educator of 24 years, and still seek her advice when I bump into her. As a student of hers, when she was a professor at UTB, my only regret was, that the class would have lasted much longer. Good Luck Dr. Smetter.
the former cougar sign man
Wow that would be sad if Smetter takes over! This lady use to stomp into schools and act as if she had “power” when her husband was the technology director. Would try and interrupt classes so that she could speak to teachers when she wanted to! All with her Louis Vuitton on her arm! Having a Doctorate degree doesn’t mean you’re not corrupt!
oh quit being so petty. If the rumors are true, this lady will do great things. She has way more experience than Dr. Puig. That’s a fact.
I try not to make comments about politics; however, as a citizen of this great town, I must say that Mr. González had no business running for school board, again. His leadership on the school board had come and gone and it should have stayed at such. That’s not to say that I am not grateful for his past service for which I am grateful.
Furthermore, Oscar Medrano, needs to step down and give a fresh, new approach for someone else to sit on the board. If I’m not mistaken, he has served on the board longer than any of the other members… past and present. What more can he bring to ensuring that all SBCISD students receive a quality education? Or that the dedicated educators/staff of SBCISD continue to offer and support highly qualified instruction to our children plus building a learning community with all parents of SBCISD.
And who exactly are you to decide who should and shouldn’t run?? The people have spoken. Get over it.
Mr. Gonzalez and any other citizen of SBCISD has the given right to seek public office. The voters of SBCISD elected Mr. Gonzalez back to his place on the board. Numbers clearly speak volume in their confidence of said candidate. Oscar Medrano has served on the board from 2003-2005 and 2007- present. The voters of San Benito have placed him there for his genuine interest of SBCISD students. Mr. Leal has served on the board since 1991, making him the most senior member. I believe you were mistaken.
@Look Into the Future:
I’m doing the research you asked, and I came across the link below. That Smetter lady you reference must be honored to be loved, appreciated, and valued by her students, but it must be an even greater honor to be the subject of such a wonderfully written blog by a former student. I wonder if Dr. Puig built the same rapport with his students while at a similarly small school district as Santa Maria. Researching, I also found many other nice things to read about that lady. The fact that she actually stayed at Santa Maria even though there was political turmoil between a battling board speaks volumes of that lady. The respect I had for Puig was thrown out the window the moment I found out about his resignation because he chose to run away from his duties at the first open exchange of opposite views between he and the board. He must think highly of himself to be able to toss a $140,000 job out the window. Peace and Good a Will be with him. I hope he really learns from this experience. As for that Smetter lady, I hope the board looks at her Vitae before making a decision.
http://wjsmetter.blogspot.com/2012/01/most-significant-teacher-was-not-really.html?m=1
“This broad”?!?!?! Thank you for using such language to shine light as to your level of credibility in judging the credentials of Dr. Smetter
Someone sounds a little jealous of Dr. Smetter. Could it be that the jealousy stems from your superintendent certificate vs. her Doctorate?!?!?! Please. Please. Please just stick to your elementary school.
If any of this is true, The future looks BRIGHT! Dr. Smetter is an EXCELLENT choice. I hope this is true!
Behold a glimpse into the future…for those of you who can’t wait to see what happens next, let me enlighten you.
Puig will be gone but will immediately be replaced by Wilma Smetter, thief of gates, just research that fact after being asked to leave her last superintendent gig. If you thought SB was a circus, wait til this broad comes into town. Once she’s in place, Bob Trevino will be awarded insurance agent of record. Talk about a well-thought out plan. It’s all about the Benjamin’s for this new board majority!!!
That board member’s Hynudai will soon convert into a Lexus or Beamer or Benz! Wait and see folks!
The cards don’t lie!
Will now the citizens and voters of San Benito can see the results of their votes. Our school district is a massive joke and it only took Anna Cruz two months to run off a newly elected superintendent. Anna Cruz does not care about our children people just evaluate her latest actions that have cost our districts MILLIONS of dollars and superintendent. The program she pushed for 6 months ago cost the district over a million dollars and it yielded worse results after the children tested. Anna Cruz has no business being on the school board much less board president. Way to go Anna Cruz you sure are writing a great legacy for yourself as a board member when your gone….
The up’s and down’s for SBCISD! So many rumors are going around town on why Dr. Puig decided to resign. I’m sure the community will never know the 100% complete truth on the matter. I have decided to do this in two parts: first to Dr. Puig, if you know the school board is doing something wrong and you’re leaving because you don’t want to be part of it, well that’s fine. But you have a legal and moral responsibility to SB staff members and the community to correct the wrong that might be going on. If you’re leaving because you have found greener pastures somewhere else, then shame on you and your words meant nothing and will mean nothing on your next stop in life. In your first meeting with the SB staff you said you would not bow down to the board, parents and community but you would do what was right for the district even if that wasn’t the popular thing to do. Please explain to the community why you’re leaving but give us the truth. Please be honest with the public because you did not give that to us in the San Benito news article. Dr. Puig, I do apply for my job, every day. Are you applying for your job or does the SB job not interest you anymore? The 2nd part goes to the board: what are you guys doing? That’s really four superintendents in 1 year. Our school district and community need stability. If you don’t see a correlation with our low scores and the instability we have then you all should resign from your post. Stop trying to gain something from your position. Stop trying to further your agenda. Let’s try something new. Let’s further San Benito. This district is the shell it once was because the experienced, great teachers are leaving and have left. How many more do you want to run off next year and continue with the status quo? I’m sure many of you will try to say I have some kind of agenda or I’m part of the old board. My agenda is to make SBCISD and San Benito a better and FAIR place to work and live.
Well, well, well….looks like the ‘new majority’ is up to their shenanigans AGAIN! It seemed as though SB finally had a promising future but the new majority, in their infinite wisdom thought it prudent to drive Puig away. What a disgrace!. If SB was considered the joke of the valley, this new board is living up to that notion. I’m embarrassed to be a resident here. Special thanks to the Tumberlinsons and Rosalinda Garcia for your service as puppet masters.
Can you say, “implosion?” Can you use it in a sentence? O.K., let’s try. “The new superintendent is leaving because the district is in a state of implosion.” Now class…tomorrow’s word is…Texas Education Agency. Class dismissed.
We only just begun….White lace and promises, promises, promises…It takes more than posing for the camera that’s for sure. While you take credit for all your accomplishments go ahead and mention that the State increased the amount of money San Benito will get by about 4 million that will give you the balanced budget you are taking credit for. When school starts with about 80 teachers less than before we will see what happens next. Oh, by that time you will be gone. San Benito is no Van Horn!….Welcome to the big league.
You mention balanced budget but truth be told that due to little to no academic gains, the Feds have decided to withhold millions of dollars to SB and Brownsville. Yep, you can thank Anna Cruz for advocating for such a ridiculous program that hurt our district academically (the very same program Browmsville has in place, of which Anna Cruz heads). Sorry, folks…looks like employees will have to go yet another year without a raise or incentive.
You mention little to no academic gains?? You can blame Yliana and her cronies, the principals that like to sit pretty and not work or give a damn about student success or achievement. Don’t blame a research-based program that is proven to work, when those same principals didn’t even use it. How is something supposed to work, when you don’t implement it?? Let’s face it…Puig had no curriculum background. It’s obvious that he was getting advice from administrators that don’t know jack. What happened to a fresh start? A new vision?? That guy was a joke. Move on!
It is sad to see San Benito loose such a motivated and committed superintendent. He had such a positive impact in such a short amount of time and to loose him due to the corruption by the SBCISD board. It has been so obvious that this was the route the crooked board members were going to take just so they can keep their commitments on the monies that were funded by Bob Trevinio to their campaigns. Bob Trevinio was removed from SBCISD due lack of service to the district and the injustice through corruption. Bob Trevinio has been removed from some upper valley districts because of corruption and he has had a long history of corruption in San Benito. Shame on you board members for not putting the kids and teachers in front of what is an obvious case of corruption and fraud. To think that after all the hard work Dr Puig has done for our community and to loose him to the Boards corruption is a sad day in San Benito. Way to go CORRUPT board!!!
Motivated and committed to using San Benito as a stepping stone. His intentions were never to stay here. It is so obvious.
Here we go again. Two board members make a motion last night Oscar Medrano and Anna Cruz on an item that was not on the Agenda to help their buddy Bob Trevino get the health insurance. .Pure Corruption Corruption Corruption. The Superintendent knows its wrong, and doesn’t want any part of this upcoming scandal. Look at Donna, La Joya, places where Bob has his hands and wallet open for business. People anytime you have a huge turnover of Superintendents there is probably corruption in the air, look at Sharyland, Donna. Tax payers we need to bring in transparency to this district. Come on Oscar new car and NO JOB really>>>> Quit taking advantage of your position, and destroying and embarrassing this district. I refuse to be paying high taxs to cover checks to cover your blunders. People are not stupid, so continue with your corrupted decisions making we know you need to pay that car before its repossessed.
@Viola…
If you’re gonna tell a story, you really should tell it all. Although the motion was made as you mention, the motion was specifically for the best insurance out there, that being Blue Cross Blue Shield. This insurance is what is best for the employees of SBCISD. So, if by wanting and making a motion for the best insurance for the district is considered “corruption” to you, then I guess it is. (Please note the sarcasm). Another important FACT you should state is that THERE WAS NO VOTE!! Anna Cruz and Oscar Medrano agreed to table the item out of courtesy to the other board members that STILL had questions even though all the information was given to them days before and during the meeting. So where is the corruption? Quit blaming others for trying to clean up the mess that the Huerta’s and Yliana left.
RAUL REALLY! you must have your head in the sand and you must not pay taxes in our community. Protocol first, the item was not in the agenda, and trying to railroad insurance into a board meeting is a red flag, the fact that ‘THERE WAS NO VOTE!” Secondly, has this item gone through a committee of teachers and tax payers, with comparisons from other companies? Raul we are in a financial bind, we do whats good for the teachers and the tax payers.
Excuse me on Huerta and Yliana can I remind you how much the health insurance was when Bob Trevino did have the insurance, compared to when Salazar got it. . .Transparency. Oh by the way, we know where the profits from the prescription cards will go tooooo.
The item was on the agenda. The meeting was about insurance. Do I have to find it on the district website to show it to you? The item did not go through teachers because that’s not the way government works, genius! The item went through finance committee with presentations and Q&A happened just as they are supposed to. But you people believe anything you hear. Before bashing someone on something you know nothing of, you should inform yourself.