Patricia Viramontes was DISD’s chief technology officer until she was shown the door last month. District gadflies had been making noise about nepotism for some time because Viramontes’ husband is Arnold Viramontes, the chief of staff and superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s right-hand man. But that’s not the reason Patricia was fired. The DMN got ahold of her personnel file, which makes pretty clear why she no longer has a job. I’ve talked to someone at 3700 Ross who remarked that she needed to go.
But here’s the thing: what’s Arnold Viramontes going to do? I’ve worked with married couples before when one was laid off. That’s no fun. But layoffs are one thing, and firings are another. It doesn’t take much of an imagination to picture the scene at the Viramontes homestead the day Arnold came home from work after Patricia was very publicly fired. I suppose it is possible that Patricia told her husband, “Today was a rough day for me, but I still love the district and believe in its mission, and I’m glad you still have a job there so you can make a difference” — but I doubt it.
I should point out that I’ve never met the Viramonteses. I’m just working through a thought experiment here. But it’s my understanding that Arnold is a big asset to the district. So here’s hoping that his wife’s employment with DISD doesn’t cost the district any more than it already has.
