Socorro Independent School District Deputy Superintendent James Vasquez has been appointed interim superintendent while the district works to replace outgoing district leader Nate Carman.
The SISD Board of Trustees on Monday voted 6 to 1 to appoint Vasquez after a closed-door meeting. Trustee Richard Castellano voted against the appointment.
“Just based on concerns that I addressed in executive, this isn’t appropriate for the district at this time,” Castellano said during the meeting, without commenting further.
Board President Michael Najera will discuss the terms of a contract with Vasquez behind closed doors and trustees will vote on it during an upcoming board meeting, district staff said Monday.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Vasquez started working for the district in October 2023.
He previously served as the associate superintendent and director of Pupil and Parent Services at the Ysleta Independent School District, and as a teacher, assistant principal and principal before that, his profile shows. Vasquez was not immediately available for comment Monday evening.
His appointment comes after Carman was put on paid administrative leave on March 25 following an audit that found he directed contracts to a company with which he had previously done business.
Carman’s contract was amended in June 2023, increasing his salary to $348,400 a year from $335,000 when he first started in March 2022. He also received a $800 monthly vehicle allowance.
Carman in February accepted a new job as superintendent of a small Arizona school district starting in July.
SISD began taking proposals for a superintendent search service in late March to help the district find a permanent replacement for Carman. The board did not give a timeline for when a permanent superintendent will be selected.
After the district began taking proposals, an external audit conducted by the firm Weaver & Tidwell of Houston found that Carman was involved in a potential conflict of interest by steering the district to contract with ADM Group, an architectural consultant services company from Arizona.
Vasquez will be taking over as district leader as it faces a $33 million budget deficit, and the Texas Education Agency prepares to place one or more conservators to help oversee the district after a four-year investigation found numerous governance issues at SISD.
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