San Benito CISD risk manager fired [Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas]

Aug. 28--SAN BENITO -- The school district fired its longtime risk manager four days after she said school board President Yliana Rodriguez told her to write a memo that announced the hiring of an insurance company to handle the district's $8 million health insurance business.

Janie Gonzalez, who has worked 18 years for the district, said she hired an attorney to represent her after she was fired Friday, but declined to comment on the reason for her termination.

Superintendent Antonio Limon declined comment, calling the matter a personnel issue.

School board members will meet today in executive session to discuss personnel, but Gonzalez said she didn't know whether the board will discuss her firing.

Board member Oscar Medrano said he may call for a criminal investigation into the case. He said that Gonzalez told him during an Aug. 14 workshop that Rodriguez told her to write the memo.

The May 16 memo stated Rodriguez announced that Robert Champion Jr. and the Salazar Insurance Group would handle the district's health insurance.

Two days later, Rodriguez rescinded the action before the Texas Education Agency told district officials that she didn't have school board approval to hire the insurance agent.

Rodriguez declined comment on Monday about whether she authorized Gonzalez to write the memo.

Medrano said he wants to know if there is any relationship between Rodriguez and Champion and the Salazar Insurance Group, which Rodriguez has denied.

"There is nothing," Rodriguez said. "There is no relationship."

Rodriguez said political opponents have focused on the issue to try to damage her.

"I think it's politically motivated," Rodriguez said. "They're trying to discredit my integrity."

Medrano denied politics were behind his push for answers.

"This has nothing to do with a witch hunt," Medrano said. "I have nothing against her. It's the principle. Policy has been violated. If there's nothing to hide, I challenge her to come forward."

Medrano previously had requested internal investigations into the case but Limon said he wasn't authorized to conduct an investigation at Medrano's request.

"If there's reason to believe a law was broken, we owe it to our taxpayers to look into that," Medrano said.

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