The Weslaco school board unanimously named Dino Coronado lone finalist for the position of superintendent Thursday evening.
The pick came after more than nine hours of closed-session board interviews with candidates this week.
“We are thrilled to announce Dr. Coronado as the superintendent finalist for the Weslaco Independent School District,” Board President Armando Cuellar wrote in a release. “We are confident that his experience and tenure as an educator has prepared him for this transition to be the superintendent of Weslaco ISD.”
Coronado is currently interim superintendent at Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco ISD and serves as a monitor for the Texas Education Agency.
He holds a Doctorate of Education in educational leadership and a Master of Education in educational administration from the University of Texas at El Paso, a master’s from Webster University and a bachelor’s from the University of Northern Iowa.
A veteran, Coronado served with the U.S. Army for almost 22 years.
“Dino and his wife Roxanne are empty nesters and together have seven children and four dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the open road on his Harley,” the release said.
According to his LinkedIn, Coronado also recently served as an adjunct associate professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
He led Roosevelt School District in Arizona for two years, departing in the summer of 2019.
Before that, Coronado served as superintendent of El Paso ISD for a little under a year. Coronado has also worked in administrative, teaching and coaching positions around Texas.
“Dr. Coronado has demonstrated professional excellence as a thoughtful leader, team builder, exceptional communicator and strategic thinker with a commitment to serve students and staff,” Cuellar wrote.
Other trustees echoed that praise in written statements complimenting Coronado’s experience and leadership.
Coronado said he was excited about the opportunity to work with the Weslaco community.
“It is an honor to be selected as the Superintendent and it is a privilege to serve the community, parents, staff, and most importantly, the children of Weslaco ISD,” he wrote. “My dad is my hero and is a product of the district so I know that our students have it in them to be all that they can be. Organizations move at the speed of trust and that trust is earned by honoring decency, civility, and respect for difference. I look forward to earning the respect of the community.”
In 2020, Coronado was a finalist for the superintendency of the Washoe County School District in Nevada.
That same year Coronado ran for mayor in Clint, Texas, but was not elected.
Coronado faced some criticism at his most recent superintendent post in Arizona.
In 2019, teachers accused Coronado of making crude remarks about an administrator, according to the Arizona Republic. Coronado was placed on leave later that year prior to his departure from the district that summer.
Cuellar said Coronado satisfied any concerns over his history in his interview.
“Everything was addressed and we’re perfectly satisfied with the resume,” Cuellar said. “He shared all of that with us.”
Although the choice hadn’t been made yet, it was abundantly clear by the board’s meeting Wednesday night that interim Superintendent Criselda “Cris” Valdez would not lead the district permanently.
Sergio Garcia, assistant superintendent for administration and support services, said as much in a public comment address that lauded Valdez’s time with the district.
“Although we respect Dr. Valdez’s decision not to apply for the superintendent position, many of us can’t help but feel saddened by this news,” he said.
The interim superintendent commented on Garcia’s praise and the upcoming leadership change in a text Thursday.
“I thank Weslaco ISD for the opportunity to serve children and staff in this capacity,” she wrote. “Servant leadership surely looks a lot like loving people. This work was simply an act of love for my community.”
Valdez was tapped for her post in August following the departure of former superintendent Priscilla Canales.
That departure directly preceded the presentation of contentious forensic audit results, an audit that was spearheaded by a new faction on the board elected in 2020 whose members have repeatedly pledged themselves to hunting for corruption and inefficiency.
Garcia called the time before Valdez’s arrival at the district “tumultuous.”
“But she came in and it seemed as if she had been here all along. Her transition as the interim superintendent was seamless, and her combined styles of leadership were like a breath of fresh air for us. As Martin Luther King Jr. once stated ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’ Dr. Valdez exemplified just that,” he said, complimenting the interim super for meeting with parents and having an open-door policy toward administrators.
Valdez has faced her share of “challenge and controversy” during her tenure.
Much of that controversy has taken the shape of fallout from that forensic audit or allegations of misconduct regarding previous administrations. A series of open-session grievance hearings this semester have prompted a parade of salacious claims before the board.
Not all of that controversy goes back to before Valdez’s time. An incident in which a district employee allegedly slapped a student in December rocked the community.
That transparency Garcia mentioned largely hasn’t extended to the media in recent weeks — at least not to The Monitor.
Valdez and her administration have outright failed to answer questions on a variety of topics, some of them notably mundane and straightforward.
Other questions she ignored were more serious, including questions about the reporting timeline of that slapping incident and whether the district knew about claims that the alleged slapper suffered from dementia.
Valdez confirmed via text Thursday that unreplied emails from The Monitor are making it to her inbox. She said she forwards those emails to general counsel.
Nonetheless, Garcia described Valdez as a leader who unified her team.
“We learned to smile again, even when things got tough,” he said.
Garcia also said the administration is eagerly expecting the naming of its new executive.
“The cabinet, principals, teachers and all other WISD staff are ready to welcome the new superintendent who will lead this district forward to accomplish the district’s mission, vision and goals,” he said.
Thursday’s announcement will be the culmination of a marathon week for the district’s board.
The board had four meetings slated for this week and so far has spent over nine hours interviewing superintendent candidates in executive session.
