Humble pie is not the most delicious desert I’ve ever swallowed, but I would venture to guess that we have all had an opportunity to taste  it once or twice. Sometimes it’s difficult to acknowledge when we’ve fallen short or to admit when we’ve made a mistake, but its important to do so . . . because  integrity matters.

With all the examples of deceitful, disingenuous, dishonorable, insincere, unprincipled and  unscrupulous actions being presented daily at the federal level by Donald Trump, his administration and the forever “enabling” Republican members of Congress who support him, it is refreshing to experience an example of political integrity among elected officials in our own community, 

Rialto Unified School District Board of Education Trustee, Edgar Montes, has served the students, schools and parents of Rialto since he was first elected in 2010, as the youngest Mexican-American to serve on the Rialto School Board. Montes, who was re-elected by constituents three times since, is now serving his fourth consecutive term. 

In 2021, Montes was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the San Bernardino County School Board Association and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. The presenters advised the community that Montes was selected as an award recipient for “galvanizing educators and community members to expand educational opportunities for both students and parents.” The recognition also included acknowledgement that Montes is an educator/school board member who has “made a positive, direct and ongoing impact on significant segments of public education.”

Now, Montes finds himself under scrutiny for what he has defined as an “inadvertent” action. His action resulted in a mistake–a mistake that has caused some to question his integrity and has also impacted his mother. 

In August 2022, Montes’ mother, Marie Torres, was listed among the names of  several individuals being recommended for hiring or promotion. The list was part of a consent calendar included with that day’s meeting agenda. 

A consent calendar, sometimes referred as a consent agenda, is a part of a meeting agenda that some boards (and other groups) use where several routine or noncontroversial items are grouped together as a single item on the agenda to allow for quick board approval without the need to discuss and vote on each item individually. A consent calendar saves meeting time by streamlining the approval process.

“Always do right. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

- Mark Twain

The attachment of background information to the August 10, 2022, meeting agenda where Torres’ name appeared as part of the consent calendar, was 131 pages long. Torres’ name appeared on page 71 of the 131 page attachment. She was listed among those being recommended for hiring, to fill a part-time nutrition services worker position at Preston Elementary School in Rialto.

Montes voted with the other board members present that day to approve the consent calendar en total. 

The vote Montes cast (which included the hiring of his mother), clearly violated by-laws established by the Rialto School Board board that define a conflict of interest. The bylaws clearly state, “...a Board member shall abstain from voting on personnel matters that uniquely affect his/her relatives.”

Although at the time, Montes had about ten years experience as a member of the Rialto School Board and had served in the capacity of president, vice president, and is now clerk for the Board, he sought the guidance of former Rialto District Superintendent, Cuauhtemoc Avila when the problem came to his attention. Montes has claimed he was not provided any guidance and apparently assumed he did not need to do anything more. 

To some extent you can understand the decision Montes made as the board’s Conflict of Interest guidelines tell board members what not to do in this regard, however, it does not provide any guidance regarding how to correct any conflict of interest actions that may occur. And with a 131 page attachment to review one can understand how the error might have happened.

Montes has since taken action to mitigate his mistake—his mother has resigned from her position with the district. 

To me the resignation of Torres seems extreme. Montes admitted he did not review the consent calendar as thoroughly as he should have before the meeting. And again, he has stated the vote was inadvertent. He has taken responsibility for his mistake. Although many remain critical of what occurred, it is important for critics to keep in mind that Torres was not only experienced and qualified for the position, she was already working for the district as a a substitute nutrition worker from January, 2022 to August, 2022, when the vote was taken. 

Avila, who was fired from his position as superintendent in February for accusations of sexual harassment made by the district’s lead innovation agent, Patricia Chavez, has claimed that Montes conspired with her in the allegations against him. Avila is also claiming Montes encouraged Avila to hire members of Montes’ family. It seems that Avila is grabbing at any thread he can reach in an attempt to salvage is reputation and career. 

In the meantime, Montes has provided a glimmer of hope regarding the level of  integrity we expect from elected officials. He acknowledged his mistake and although he did not act immediately, he did seek guidance when the error came to light. And although it took some time, Montes took steps to mitigate the error. This is light years from what we are currently witnessing at the national level. 

In my estimation, Montes has already eaten his humble pie. Also, because Torres was already working for the district for about eight months as a substitute nutrition services worker before she was hired for the position permanently, I believe she should have retained her job. I question whether it was right to punish Torres for her son’s inadvertent mistake. Afterall, she was qualified for the position, she went through the application process appropriately and she was not offered the job at the expense of someone else. 

As I noted in my opening, we are all going to miss the mark sometimes. What matters is what we do once we recognize the mistake. 

Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real. 

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