The Goose Creek CISD Board of Trustees has called a meeting for Thursday to consider a “voluntary separation agreement” with Superintendent Salvador Cavazos.

The agenda also includes an item to appoint an acting superintendent, and an item to cancel the regular Aug. 11 meeting.

Board president Jimmy Smith declined to provide details of the agreement ahead of its approval by the full board.

“Through lots of discussions we have come to an agreement that is good for the school district and Dr. Cavazos,” Smith said.

He also said he did not want to go into details of the effective date of Cavazos’ departure, but said he expected an acting superintendent to be named Thursday. “You’ll hear who that is at that time,” he said.

“We’re looking to turn the corner here and to get schools open and get Goose Creek going in a positive direction.”

The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Board Room of the Administration Building, 4544 Interstate 10, Baytown.

The pared-down agenda includes only discussion related to the transition and the cancellation of the Aug. 11 meeting. There is no public comment section or any other business.

The school board meeting will start with a closed session in which the board is scheduled to discuss the voluntary separation agreement with legal counsel and to deliberate regarding the appointment of an acting superintendent.

They will then return to open session to approve the agreement, name an acting superintendent and cancel the Aug. 11 meeting.

Notice of the meeting was posted on the district’s website after 5 p.m. Monday, just in time to provide the 72-hour notice required by state law.

The school district, and particularly the superintendent, have been under intense public scrutiny since early June when Cavazos announced that 10 schools – in addition to the two new campuses – would start the year with new principals.

An early focus of community discontent was the demotion of Goose Creek Memorial High School Principal Michael Wahl to Gentry Junior School. Wahl has since left the district.

Fed by social media postings and letters to the editor, community interest resulted in several hundred people attending the school board meeting July 14 and July 28 people speaking out on their concerns.

Public statements focused on excessive turnover in administrative positions, poor communication and low morale.

Complaints were directed both at the school board and at the superintendent.

A similar number of people attended the July 28 board meeting. The board limited public participation to six speakers, but the speakers had a uniform message that Cavazos needed to be removed as superintendent.

The board awarded Cavazos a $25,000 raise in February, increasing his salary to $235,000.

Hired in July 2012, Cavazos is the 14th superintendent in Goose Creek CISD history.

Cavazos was superintendent of the 5,300-student Alice ISD in south Texas for three years prior to Goose Creek CISD. http://baytownsun.com/news/article_851a7b36-1c43-11e4-a820-001a4bcf887a.html