Teachers Leave San Angelo ISD 'High and Dry'

SAN ANGELO, TX – The San Angelo Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to submit complaints to the State Board for Educator Certification against two teachers — Perla Garcia and Ida Pinnell-Luce — for abandoning their contracts mid-year without district consent or good cause, during the Jan. 20, 2026, regular meeting. 

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Moran told the board the district works with employees facing life-changing events, but only brings cases forward when teachers "left us high and dry and did not work with us at all." 

He added, "They quit on their kids, and it's a shame, because those kids came back and didn't have a teacher."

Perla Garcia (Lincoln Middle School)
Garcia submitted her resignation on Dec. 24, 2025, citing foster care/adoption plans and opportunities outside teaching. The district did not accept it. Formal abandonment notification followed on Jan. 6. The district offered completion through Spring Break with a final date of March 13, 2026, but Garcia declined. 

Ida Pinnell-Luce (Central/Lake View High Schools, Career and Technical Education)
Pinnell-Luce resigned on Dec. 19, 2025, citing Social Security eligibility and inability to secure part-time work. The district did not accept it. In a Jan. 9 meeting, she expressed wanting to "slow down." Alternatives were offered, but she declined to extend beyond her two-week notice. Board policy and state law require contract fulfillment unless good cause exists. SBEC will determine sanctions, potentially including certificate suspension. 

The actions highlight SAISD's 33 teaching vacancies. Moran stressed mid-year exits force reliance on substitutes, harming students. One trustee noted that contracts are "very detailed" about the year-long commitment to children. 

Both items passed 7-0 separately, with the administration clarifying that they only forward uncooperative cases after accommodation attempts.