Texas appoints conservators for troubled Progreso school district

PROGRESO — Conservators appointed by Texas Education Agency will start work at the Progreso Independent School District next week, with broad power over the school board and district administrators.

After reviewing a lengthy agency investigation into corruption and management problems at the Progreso school district, state Education Commissioner Michael Williams appointed the two conservators on Jan. 16. They start work next week, when they’ll start studying how to correct major financial, management and governance problems.

FBI agents arrested district Maintenance Director Jose Guadalupe Vela Jr. — along with his sons, Progreso Mayor Omar L. Vela and school board President Michael R. Vela — in August. They solicited bribes and kickbacks from school district contractors, according to the 10-count indictment against them.

The Texas Education Agency’s follow-up investigation detailed additional problems, including allegations a teacher inappropriately helped students with standardized tests and questions about why the district’s senior accountant wrote himself a district check for $21,000.

More at http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_6f1fddf4-8e03-11e3-b922-0017a43b2370.html .

[font color=green]Is anybody surprised that there is corruption when one family runs the entire town?[/font]