An effort on the Weslaco school board to terminate the district’s financial advisor failed after a split vote at the Oct. 19 meeting.
If successful, that effort would have authorized the superintendent to send a 30-day termination notice to Hilltop Securities.
Had that push succeeded, the board would have discussed advertising a request for proposals for financial advisory services.
Trustee Jesse Trevino led the push to look into replacing Hilltop.
“Just having come on the board here recently, I think it’s to our advantage to go out there and see what else is out there, what other companies have to offer,” he said.
Arguing about doing something for a long time is not necessarily a good reason to keep doing it, Trevino said, noting that introducing a little competition could be beneficial for the district.
“I believe it’s a good opportunity to see what else is out there, either more aggressive or not. If they want to resubmit a bid, that’s fine, but at least we get to hear presentations and so forth,” he said.
Trevino didn’t cite any specific qualms about Hilltop.
Andres Sanchez Jr., assistant superintendent of business and finance, said the district is about halfway through its five-year contract with the firm, and has been with them for over 20 years.
Sanchez gave the company a largely positive review.
“We don’t have any problems,” he said.
That endorsement was enough to convince half of the six trustees present for the meeting to vote against axing Hilltop’s contract.
“I just feel like if they’ve been doing good work and Mr. Sanchez feels confident in them, I think it’s something that I would rather have them finish up the contract and then we can go out for RFQs (request for qualifications) once the contract is up,” Board Vice President Dr. Jaime Rodriguez said.
The board’s vote fell solidly along faction lines that emerged late last year, longtime trustees voting against the change and trustees elected in November 2020 voting for it.
Those freshman trustees have spearheaded a variety of changes and initiatives at the district over the past year, often citing a desire for more oversight of district contracts.
Board President Armando Cuellar Jr. has often served as a swing vote on contentious decisions where the new and old factions differed with each other, but has been absent from all of the board’s September and October meetings.
“Coach Armando Cuellar Jr., he can’t be here today, but I want to thank him and I hope he has a good, strong recovery,” Trustee Marcos De Los Santos said during a board discussion of a recently completed forensic audit in September, noting Cuellar’s role in supporting that audit’s launch.
