Saavedra became the superintendent of
Corpus Christi Independent School District and he held that position from 1993 to 2000 for a total of seven years. Saavedra joined Houston ISD and became the Superintendent of the East District in February 2001. In August 2002 he became the executive deputy superintendent for School Support Services. She added that "Saavedra alienated a great many people because, it was said, he did too little". He announced his term would end in Spring 2010. He became the superintendent of
South San Antonio ISD in 2014. He announced that he was leaving the position at the end of his contract on March 19, 2019. He ultimately resigned before the end of his contract, with his last day being October 12, 2018. Saavedra's decision to resign, as well as the district's agreement on Saavedra leaving, was approved by the SSAISD board on a 6-1 basis that day. The then-
Palacios Independent School District (PISD) superintendent, Alexandro Flores, replaced him. In October 2018 the HISD board chose to appoint Saavedra as the interim HISD superintendent, but the board later reversed its decision. ==See also==