HOLYOKE, MASS. – Sergio Paez was so convinced he could overhaul the underperforming schools of this old industrial city that, just months after becoming superintendent, he donated $10,000 to renovate the deteriorating municipal library.
A reading room in the library overlooking a beleaguered elementary school now bears his father's name.
"We were supposed to do great things," Paez said. "This was going to be the place where we fixed urban education."
But just six months after the new library opened, he was out as superintendent. He had been on the job for less than two years.
Now Paez's vision of transforming another school district, this time in Minneapolis, is at risk. Just days after Paez was named the superintendent in Minneapolis, allegations surfaced that staff in a Holyoke school abused special education students. The Minneapolis school board has halted contract negotiations while it investigates what Paez knew and whether he took any action.
Despite the allegations, many educators, politicians and community members in Holyoke are unwavering in their support for Paez.
They admire him for taking on one of the hardest jobs in the state and say Paez's vision for the district, and the programs he began to implement, brought hope that the schools were on a path to change. There was a greater focus on reading, the arts, language immersion and partnerships with local businesses.
"There is a lot here," said Peggy Boulais, a former Holyoke school committee member. "But it's the schools that kill us."