School Superintendent Planning Censure for Trustee Who Voted Against His Raise Update: Worse Than We Thought

Updated.

Apparently the Round Rock ISD Administration is not happy with elected Board of Trustees member Terri Romere.  Last Thursday, Romere was the only trustee to vote against the $8,000 raise and contract extension for Superintendent Jesus Chavez.  Although RRISD Board meetings are typically on the third Thursday of the month, they've called a meeting for tonight, Tuesday April 24, at 6:00 P.M.  In the posted agenda, the Superintendent calls for a Closed Session to discuss "censure" of the Place 4 member.

Ross Fischer, attorney for Romere, has formally requested that proceedings take place in an Open, rather than Closed session.  This is appropriate since Romere has been an advocate for district transparency.

Even more interesting is Fischer's final paragraph:

Additionally, please know that the ISD has not formally notified our client of the basis for tonight's contemplated discipline.  Unfortunately, this appears to be standard protocol for the ISD.  In order to properly advise our client, we are requesting any information that constitutes the basis for tonight's discussion. 

Don't hold your breath, Ross.

So, as of right now, the reasons are a complete mystery to everyone except Jesus Chavez and possibly other Board members.  Rumor has it that one of the Board members thought Romere was rude after the vote to raise the Superintendent's base salary to $260,000. 

It looks like this is another attempt to ambush and silence Romere, who has been an ardent voice for RRISD parents and taxpayers.

The meeting is scheduled for  6 P.M. in the Round Rock High School Lecture Hall.
  
Update:  Apparently it's even worse than we thought.  Terri Romere cannot even be present to face her accusers.  Her mother is critically ill and has been hospitalized for several weeks now, and Romere is assisting in moving her mother to a new medical facility this afternoon.  Just how nasty are these people going to be?  Maybe Romere has a puppy they can kick or something. 

Statement from Romere: 

Last week, I was the sole vote against the contract extension of the Round Rock ISD Superintendent.  Earlier this year, I voted in the minority against the ISD proposed boundary realignment recommendations.  Neither position has proven very popular with many of my fellow trustees or the school district administration.  During the boundary realignment consideration, several board members took exception to an email I forwarded in an effort to foster communication between constituents and referred the matter to the County Attorney for criminal investigation.  Now, some of those same board members want to go behind closed doors to discuss censuring me for something that has not been disclosed to me or my attorney.  I would opine that the fact that I was the lone dissenting vote may be a factor in the timing of this proposed censure.  I will not agree to a closed door meeting and have sent notice to the Board demanding that any discussion about a possible censure of me be conducted in an open meeting format, which is my right under Texas law.

My dissent is a constitutional right and a duty I have to the citizens who elected me.  No amount of bullying, intimidation, or harassment is going to silence what I feel is my moral responsibility to my office or my constituents.  My fellow board members may take whatever action they feel is necessary, but I will not be taking part in further wasting the Board’s time or our ISD resources.  Instead, I will be spending the evening with my critically ill mother who is being transferred to another hospital.

  
Attorney Letter to RRISD April 24 20120001