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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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Superintendent's resignation asked for
Published September 22, 2009
Val Verde County Democratic Party Chair Diana Salgado called for public school district superintendent Kelt Cooper's resignation last night over his decision not to air President Barack Obama's broadcast to students.
She made her demand during the public comments portion of Monday night's San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting.
“The superintendent has exhibited poor judgment and a clear lack of understanding of this community. We demand that the board of trustees ask for his immediate resignation,” said Salgado, reading from a letter previously submitted to board president Raymond Meza, Cooper and the Del Rio News-Herald. “We also demand that you set aside a time during a school day this week to show the president's speech to the students.”
Salgado said the reasons she heard for not running the live telecast of the president's speech, including the lack of technology, staggered lunch hours (the speech ran during many school's lunch times), and that it didn't fit into the curriculum, weren't good enough.
“Students need all the motivation they can get,” said Delgado, citing statistics that indicate the Texas dropout rate is 8 percent higher than the national average and 36 other states.
She also said high school dropouts from the class of 2012 would cost Texas $6 billion, according to a Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service.
Dropouts are more likely to earn less, be unemployed, pay less in taxes and receive more government assistance.
Salgado's demand drew applause from members of the audience, several of them with ties to Texas RioGrande Legal Aide.
TRLA and Cooper have been at odds over his decision to monitor international border traffic and expel students found crossing into the United States during school days, indicating they do not reside within the district.
While Cooper said he is following district policy and state law, which requires students to reside within the district they attend school in most cases, at least one TRLA attorney believes the district's policy on determining student residency violates the law.
“The (San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District's) policy for residency is illegal and doesn't comply with Texas Education Code,” TRLA attorney Courtney Schusheim said during a meeting Sept. 10 intended to inform parents of their legal rights in relation to the school system.
The board made no comments following Delgado's presentation and the issue was not discussed again during the public portion of the meeting.
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