Brownsville ISD and former district administrators have come to an agreement over lawsuits that could have cost the district millions of dollars.
Almost three years ago, the Brownsville school board made the decision to terminate their Superintendent and decided against renewing the contract of their Chief Financial Officer.
What followed were lawsuits against the district.
"On my behalf, I did see an injustice, and justice has been served,” said board member Caty Presas-Garcia. “It's been hard and rough for this district. However, the decision that we made today was based on what the attorneys shared with us. And therefore, we made the best decision that any leader would do in order for us to save the district from a financial distress."
The district fired former Superintendent Hector Gonzales in September of 2009.
Gonzales appealed this decision, but after his appeals were rejected he filed a lawsuit against BISD.
Another lawsuit was filed by former CFO Antonio Juarez under first amendment terms when the district did not renew his contract.
Behind closed doors, BISD board members met with attorneys for all parties and came to a settlement that will close this case for good.
"We settled for a significant amount,” said BISD Attorney Arturo Michel. “The district believes it's a fair settlement and one that prevents further exposure for much larger dollars for the district."
The multi-million dollar lawsuit for Gonzales was dropped in exchange for $800,000.
In Juarez's case, he was given $700,000, as well as a renewed two year contract with the district.
According to the district's attorney, even though the settlement is seen as fair, both parties are not walking away from this situation completely satisfied.
"I think in any mediation, any mediator would tell you that a good settlement is one where both parties walk away not satisfied,” said Michel. “And I think this is one in which the district wishes that it could have paid less, I'm sure the plaintiffs wish they could have gotten more or more favorable employment terms."
Now that these lawsuits have been settled, there will be no possibility of taking this situation further to trial.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT