HARLINGEN — Two seats on the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees are on the election ballot May 7.
Josue “Josh” Garza is running against incumbent Greg Powers for Place 3. Israel Aguilar is running against incumbent Eladio Jaimez for Place 7.
Jaimez said if he were reelected to another term he would continue to fight for teachers at staff at HCISD.
“As our frontline workers, they are the backbone of our wonderful school district,” Jaimez said. “We have the best teachers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, librarians, security guards, counselors and custodians in Texas.”
He referred specifically to closing the achievement gap for students as an important goal.
“We have also made great strides as a school district to provide our students and families with a district of choice,” he said. “Whether our students want to pursue a future in medicine, welding, dance and everything in between, they will have every opportunity to fulfill their dreams and more at HCISD. I will make sure that those opportunities are available to every student.”
His opponent, Israel Aguilar, said that through his capacity as a certified teacher, principal and superintendent, he will serve as a resource of ideas and research-based practices for district and school employees to accelerate instruction due to loss of learning during the pandemic.
“As a community leader and current vice president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harlingen, I will continue to advocate for positive student engagement of all youth so they graduate on time and are college, career, or military ready,” he said. “As a fiduciary agent, I will ensure all expenses made by the district or construction projects are within budget.”
He said if elected to the board he would ensure no Harlingen schools would close because of low enrollment, citing a loss of “over 1,000 students to other school districts or charters across the Valley.”
“As the HCISD Texas State Teacher’s Association local chapter-endorsed candidate, I will advocate for all staff,” he said.
Incumbent Greg Powers said if he’s reelected to Place 3 he would continue the work taking place in the district. He spoke in-depth about that work.
“It’s critical to me that our students find their passion while attending our schools and that has been made possible with all the opportunities available to them through our academies,” he said. “In addition to our exceptional fine arts and athletics programs, HCISD now offers 12 career academies for students to choose from at our four high schools.”
These opportunities, he said, have been made possible through the unwavering support of the district’s community partners, “who have put their trust and faith in the work we’re doing.”
“Whether it’s providing internship and field experiences for our kids or sharing their expertise with teachers and students,” he said, “our community has come together to make HCISD one of the finest districts in the state.”
His opponent Josue “Josh” Garza said that, as a social worker “I am called to be an advocate for all.”
“I will make sure that all students and staff at HCISD receive the adequate resources available to help them meet their overall needs through resources such as grants, counselors and community,” he said.
He expressed special concern for the mental health issues arising from the pandemic.
“With the pandemic, there has been a rise of mental health issues as well as an increase in bullying,” he said. “I would like to work with our professionals in our district to help our students. Therefore, I would like to bring in social workers to our district to better address psychosocial issues that affect factors that affect learning.”
This concern for COVID-related mental health issues extended further to educators. He said the pandemic has led to burnout among educators. He would like to find opportunities for self-care and offer counseling.
Editor’s note: The previous version of this story should have stated that Israel Aguilar is running against Eladio Jaimez for Place 7. Josue “Josh” Garza is running against Greg Powers for Place 3.
