Seguin ISD names interim superintendent; Vijil reassigned to superintendent emeritus role
28 May 2025
Seguin ISD
Felicia Frazar | The Seguin Gazette
Seguin ISD’s superintendent has taken on her new role early, and the board has named an interim to lead the district until it hires its new leader.
During a specially called meeting Wednesday, the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees approved an amended retirement agreement that reassigns Superintendent Veronica Vijil to superintendent emeritus earlier than originally agreed upon and named Seguin ISD Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth “Liz” Banks (formerly Oaks) as the interim superintendent.
“It amended the date that Dr. Vijil went from our superintendent to emeritus position that was already happening, that was scheduled to happen at the end of June and it just moved up to this date,” Seguin ISD Board President Denise Crettenden said.
According to the agreement, Vijil will serve in the role of superintendent emeritus starting May 28, 2025, until Dec. 31, 2025.
“After the reassignment date, Vijil may engage in employment/consulting activities that do not substantially interfere with her ability to perform her duties of superintendent emeritus pursuant to this agreement,” the agreement states.
The board approved the measure 5-0-1 with Trustee Alejandro Guerra abstaining and Trustee William Dwyer absent from the meeting.
Crettenden said she was not able to specify why the agreement was amended other than it was mutually agreed upon through negotiations between attorneys.
The board then unanimously appointed Banks to run the district in the interim.
“I think she is going to do a great job and she is going to get us to where we need to be for this next superintendent to be very successful,” Crettenden said. “There is a lot that goes on in the summer, and I think people may not realize we’re right in the middle of hiring, doing the budget, construction projects going on. There are things happening every day.”
Banks said she is excited for the opportunity and appreciates the board’s confidence in her.
“It makes me feel great that the board trusts me,” she said. “There is a lot going on. We need to keep moving forward, keep making decisions and like she said, be ready for our new superintendent hopefully in July.”
Banks will serve as the interim until a new superintendent can step into the role, Crettenden said.
Vijil’s new role puts her in a position to assist the new superintendent in any capacity, Crettenden said.
“The superintendent emeritus was set up in a way that the new superintendent can sort of decide what that looks like and where they think she’ll best be able to help the district,” she said.
Most of Banks’ experience in education is on the business side where she has served for more than a decade in finance and business operations, as well as two years in the classroom, the district said in a news release.
She has served as CFO for La Vernia ISD and Lamesa ISD, as well as the business manger for Miami ISD in Miami, Texas, the release said.
“Liz has a great working relationship with our leadership staff, and I know that they will all pull together to get us through this important season with hiring, crafting the budget, and overseeing the construction and facilities projects happening across the district,” Crettenden said. “We have an excellent team in place at the campuses and in central office, and I trust that under her leadership, they’ll have the support and guidance to do what they do best.”
The board spent the rest of Wednesday’s meeting discussing applicants and picking their top choices. It has interviews set up for this weekend, with follow-up interviews scheduled to follow at a later date.
“We plan to name them (the lone finalist) on June 17, then you officially hire them 21 days later, which is July 10,” Crettenden said. “They may be from somewhere else, they may need to finish up somewhere, so they may not start immediately. So, our interim superintendent would be in place until the new superintendent takes the job.”
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