The Weslaco Independent School District Board of Trustees is expected to name a lone finalist for superintendent Thursday evening, and although who that person will be is anybody’s guess, it looks like it won’t be Interim Superintendent Criselda “Cris” Valdez.
Sergio Garcia, assistant superintendent for administration and support services, said as much at the board’s meeting Wednesday in a public comment address that lauded the interim superintendent’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.
