Sioux City Community School District's superintendent resigned after spending almost two months on administrative leave.
Juan Córdova, a native of Puerto Rico, joined the public school district this school year after serving as an administrator in Missouri.
The school board unanimously approved his resignation, effective March 31, during a special board meeting on Monday.
Córdova replaced retiring superintendent Rob Earleywine on July 1, but took personal leave a few days before the school year began. He worked only 50 days.
A prepared statement read by school board President Jan George ended some of the secrecy surrounding his leave.
“The board accepted Córdova's resignation to allow both parties to pursue other opportunities," George said. "The mutual decision follows Dr. Córdova licensing issue and professional differences between Dr. Córdova and the board with regards to standards for its superintendent."
George offered no further comment, citing Córdova’s resignation as a confidential personnel issue. Other board members stayed silent on the issue.
The Sioux City Journal reported Córdova worked without a temporary license for seven and a half weeks and started the application process a day after starting his new position.
His absence early in the school year coincided with the time required to acquire his initial administrator’s license. The Board of Educational Examiners' website currently shows Córdova received no other license.
Criticism from a former elected official
Former board member Dan Greenwell, who lost reelection in November, said hiring Córdova was a mistake.
“Not exactly like the Des Moines superintendent, but I think we were bamboozled," Greenwell said at Monday's meeting. “I was part of hiring the wrong guy — I admit it. But when you make a mistake, you recognize that mistake, and you take care of it quickly.”
On Sept. 15, the board tried to hold a closed session to evaluate the professional competency of an employee believed to be Córdova. However, a majority vote needed to legally move forward failed.
Greenwell said the board should have accepted Córdova’s resignation months ago, which would have saved the district $150,000. Córdova's salary and benefits exceed $275,000 a year.
“This gave Dr. Córdova significant leverage, and obviously, he's exploited it from September all the way till now,” Greenwell added. “It’s Jan. 5, and he's exploiting it for another several months, another three months through March 31. So we're paying a guy to sit at home — idle to do nothing.”
Greenwell also claimed Córdova failed to obtain an evaluator endorsement needed to review employees.
Córdova did not attend the special board meeting and has not yet made a public statement about his leave or resignation. When he was hired in February, Córdova became the first Latino to lead the majority-minority district, which serves more than 14,000 students who speak nearly 50 languages.
Associate Superintendent Angela Bemus, who has served different roles in Sioux City schools since 2005, will oversee the day-to-day operations of the district as acting superintendent. The board’s next task will be to confirm an interim superintendent and determine the search process for our next superintendent.
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The headline of this story was corrected to say Córdova was on leave for weeks, not months.
