A total of 11 candidates are running for four places up for reelection on the Weslaco Independent School District Board of Trustees this November.
Place 4 incumbent Jaime Rodriguez, an optometrist, will face off against educational consultant Edith “ET” Treviño.
Andrew Gonzalez, the Place 5 incumbent did not file for reelection and four newcomers will square off for his seat.
Benjamin “Ben” Castillo, an attorney, Homer Saenz, an IT systems engineer, Diana Quintanilla, a director, and Paula Mata Sanchez, an adult education supervisor, are all running for that seat.
Place 6 incumbent and current board president Coach Armando Cuellar, who is retired, is being challenged by current Edcouch City Manager Victor Hugo De La Cruz.
Meanwhile, Place 7 incumbent Isidoro Nieto, also a retired educator, will face two current educators vying to replace him: Pedee Abrigo and Alfredo “Duff” Castaneda, both teachers.
The policy of the current board has trended solidly toward reform at the district after a trio of newcomer trustees were elected in 2020, none of whom are up for reelection.
Of the board’s four old-timers, Cuellar has been the most apt to join those reformers, sometimes giving them the majority at key junctures.
Shakeups at the district in the last two years include a superintendent change, new legal counsel and administrative structure reform.
Changes at the district are ongoing, although it has stabilized some since the 2021-22 school year, which featured legal action from a former administrator and a few less than flattering grievance hearings.
The district has particularly touted its aggressive employee compensation increases.
The election will be held on Nov. 5.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Paula Mata Sanchez is running for the Place 5 seat.
