Gallegos' website

ECISD deputy superintendent Joe Gallegos has created a website to express his side of what he says is happening in the Ector County Independent School District.

The website, called “The scapegoat speaks,” addresses the District Continuous Improvement Plan and the Career Center merger. He also lashes out at some trustees, ECISD faculty and Odessa American articles and editorials.

When contacted Wednesday, Gallegos answered and said he would need to call back because he was receiving another call.

He didn’t call back, but did post a note on his website stating the Odessa American called and asked about his site.

Attempts to reach him at the ECISD administration building were unsuccessful and communications director Mike Adkins said Gallegos was in the office Monday and Tuesday, but he wasn’t sure if Gallegos was in Wednesday.

Trustees are taking up the matter of Gallegos’ contract in a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. today in the boardroom at 802 N. Sam Houston Ave.

Gallegos has asked for his $128,042 contract, which just started July 1, to be bought out, as well as for good references. He has hinted at a possible lawsuit if his demands aren’t met.

Some trustees said they’ve seen the site and some say they haven’t.

Trustee Doyle Woodall said he hadn’t seen the site but heard about it from a district employee.

“I’m not going to waste any time looking at it,” he said. “It doesn’t deserve my attention.”

Board vice president L.V. “Butch” Foreman said he hadn’t seen the site but said Gallegos has a right to put his view out in the public domain.

At the same time, Foreman said, he didn’t see how Gallegos’ website could fully address his concerns when it would be more beneficial to bring it up to the whole board at a meeting.

“It’s not solving any problems,” Foreman said. “What good does that do?”

Trustee Donna Smith, who Gallegos says on his website violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when she sent a letter to other board trustees questioning the Virtual High School and the Career Center merger, said Wednesday she hasn’t looked too closely at the site.

Smith said she didn’t plan to fully review the site prior to tonight’s meeting. However, she did have an initial reaction to it.

“I feel like I’ve been in an almost no win situation since I came on to the board,” she said. “It appears that virtually anything I’ve said or done over the past year has been misconstrued and consequently interpreted as my violating board ethics.”

On the website, Gallegos also says Smith cursed at him and following a meeting between the two, asked Sollis to place a letter in Gallegos’ personnel file.

The letter, which is posted on the website, requests that superintendent Wendell Sollis instruct Gallegos not to speak to Smith without another witness present.

In the letter, Smith states that Gallegos “has a clear pattern of attacking anyone who dares to question him.”

Gallegos also takes issue with board trustee Foreman and board president Carol Gregg.

Gallegos states that at a June 1, 2006, meeting with Gregg, Foreman and Smith, that Smith cursed at him. Gallegos reported it to Sollis, but both Foreman and Gregg said it didn’t happen.

On Wednesday, Foreman again said Smith did not curse at Gallegos.

“I don’t believe it is in her character to say that,” Foreman said.

Foreman also said nothing on the website would change his decision about Gallegos’ contract at today’s meeting. Foreman didn’t say what that decision would be.

Gregg declined to comment on specifics of the site since she hadn’t seen it.

In the mean time, on Gallegos’ site, he also takes issue with the controversy that surrounded the district improvement plan and writes: “Not once have I been asked about the District Plan. Not once has there been an interest by the OA to hear all sides of an issue.”

In addition, Gallegos’ site includes some video clips from board meetings and other documents concerning recent issues.

The site’s welcome message states “Hi, my name is Joseph Gallegos. I am an employee of the Ector County ISD in Odessa, Texas, and have been here for one year and seven months (at the end of July). I have put this site up to give my side of the many issues which surround this troubled district. I mainly want to give my side of the story, as it were, because the local newspaper refuses to look for factual information.”

Gallegos also states on the site that “I sincerely hope they (the OA) publish the link to my site so that many more people can see for themselves.”