With only two of the seven elected trustees present at Monday night’s Kenedy school board’s regular meeting, Board President Frank Nieto cancelled the meeting because the board lacked a quorum of four needed to conduct business.

"I apologize," Nieto said. "We will have to reschedule the meeting."

Nieto and Trustee Ed Monson were the only trustees present at 6:15 p.m. when the meeting was set to begin.

Trustees Jimmy Burns, Carl Lundquist, Leo Valerio, Tony Mejia and Velma Garza were absent although Garza did show up later after the meeting had been cancelled.

"Is our attorney getting paid anything for tonight here?" Trustee Ed Monson asked.

"For the drive here and the drive back," Superintendent Richard Irizarry said.

"It’s awfully strange that at a regularly scheduled board meeting that’s been on the agenda – forever – the second Monday…and at the last minute…," Monson said, expressing frustration with his fellow trustees. "I guess there are more important things in some people’s lives than service on the school board."

The school board president told The Countywide that one of the absent trustees provided notice of their absence a few minutes before the meeting, but none of the others contacted him ahead of time or offered any excuses.

Trustee Carl Lundquist told The Countywide Tuesday that he was unable to attend because his daughter was involved in a sports event happening at the same time as the meeting. He said he would not have missed the meeting had he known that there might not be a quorum.