Days after the San Antonio Independent School District named a candidate for the district's top job, Dr. Manuel Isquierdo withdrew his name from consideration.
Monday, the SAISD School Board voted to name Isquierdo the "lone finalist" for the position.
SAISD School Board President Ed Garza announced the move Friday afternoon, saying Isquierdo felt the decision was in the best interest of all parties involved.
A briefing was held with reporters Thursday where questions were raised about the Tuscon, Ariz. superintendent's history, including a tax lien for more than $150,000 that he says was due to a foreclosure during the housing crisis.
He is also cited with charging more than $12,000 to a district credit card that he ultimately paid back. He currently has a suspended driver's license due to traffic tickets.
Garza said in an email to district employees that the board will continue to work diligently on the selection of the district's next superintendent. He added the board is committed to finding "a permanent, long-term leader with the experience, character, fortitude, and vision to transform SAISD into a National Model Urban School District."
On her Facebook page, school board member Patti Radle had invited people to a series of public events next week to meet Isquierdo, including community forms at Jefferson, Burbank, Lanier and Brackenridge High Schools.
She later posted a cancelation of those events, saying, "Well, this was a very short vetting process for Mr. Isquierdo."
The district has not said what the next immediate steps will be. In the meantime, Dr. Sylvester Perez will continue to serve as the interim superintendent. He was appointed on March 1, 2012 following the resignation of Dr. Robert Duron on Feb. 20, 2012. Perez is a San Antonio native with more than 38 years of service to Texas school children, according to his biography on the SAISD web site.
