HISD Board Racially Divided On Interim Superintendent Removal

HOUSTON, TX — The Houston ISD Board of Trustee voted Thursday to replace interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan with former HISD superintendent Dr. Abelardo Saavedra. Lathan, who is the districts chief academic officer, has served as interim since April when Dr. Richard Carranza resigned to take a similar position in New York City, as the school district was still recovering from Hurricane Harvey.

The motion to appoint Saavedra was made by Trustee Diana Dávila, who previously served on the board from 2003 to 2010 when Saavedra was superintendent. She was elected to a new term in 2015.

Meanwhile, the motion to replace Lathan with Saavedra ignited outrage from members of the audience as well as members of the board, some of whom accused their colleagues of bias.

“I don’t know how one trustee can interview the interim and he gets to be interim without the input of eight other members,” said board president Rhonda Skillern-Jones. “That’s a little confusing to me.”

The 5-4 vote in favor of Saaverdra ignited yelling and accusations of racial discrimination from parents and some school board members.

"This board has opened my eyes to what race really is. This board is racial. So, now we are under the cloud of a takeover," Trustee Wanda Adams said.

Several parents stepped up to voice their support for Lathan after the trustees voted. Michael E. Jackson, a former teacher, called the boards action “totally unacceptable.”

Carita Creeks was at the meeting to talk to the trustees about child abuse issues, but the bickering and discussion derailed her speech and angered her to the point where she chastised the board for their behavior.

“It’s hard for you to solve any problems because your decisions are based on who is going to vote for you, so you can’t give is an honest decision on what is best for our children she said. “I hope all of you get the hell up out of here. All of you.”

Saavedra, who served as HISD superintendent from 2004 to 2010 and was the districts first Hispanic superintendent, will serve on a six-month contract starting on Monday. He will remain in that role in a month to month basis after the initial six months until the board permanently fills the position.

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Image: Granita Lathan-Houston ISD

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