SAN JUAN — A student was arrested Thursday evening and is facing terroristic threat charges following a social media post in which he stated his intention to harm students at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School.

Jose Castro-Lopez, 17, was charged Friday afternoon and is currently being held under a $250,000 bond. Castro was arrested Thursday evening, said San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez, and admitted to be the author of a post on Facebook stating he was planning to “do something that will take many times,” and warning readers not to “be surprised when next week when I shoot it up.”

PSJA school district officials worked with the San Juan Police Department to investigate the threat which was made Thursday morning using what turned out to be a fake social media account.

“San Juan PD takes all threats serious and a thorough investigation will be conducted on all reported threats,” Gonzalez said in a news release sent after the arrest Friday. “Those that choose to (make) threats will be identified and arrested. We prioritize the safety of our students and work in partnership with school district officials in keeping our students safe.”

In an interview, Gonzalez said the fact that the Facebook account was fake and the language of the post indicates to him that there was a dangerous thought process involved and not just a practical joke as some might be inclined to believe.

“We very carefully dissect the intent of the individual,” he said. “In this case the individual went out of his way to create a fake Facebook account. He was very meticulous on what he wanted to do. … He was very forward on what he put on that Facebook post and to us that was alarming.”

PSJA school district will press charges against Castro-Lopez, according to a statement sent by spokeswoman Arianna Vasquez, and if released from custody, he will be sent to a disciplinary facility and not allowed to return to a PSJA campus.

“This is a serious matter and will be dealt (with) the harshest disciplinary consequences the law provides,” she said.

In an earlier statement Vasquez said security was also increased at the school out of precaution and expressed the need for parents to talk to their children about the importance to report threats to school officials and police.

“It is also important they understand the seriousness of making such threats,” she said in a written statement. “We are not taking any situation lightly, there are serious consequences for these actions.”

Justice Dori Contreras secured the Democratic nomination for chief justice of the 13th Court of Appeals on Tuesday night and will face off against Republican Ernie Aliseda in the November general election.

Contreras received 63.81 percent of the vote, earning 22,000 more votes than her Democratic opponent, McAllen attorney Ray Thomas.

Contreras has served as Place 6 justice on the court since 2003.

The court serves 20 South Texas counties, with offices in Edinburg and Corpus Christi, and its remaining general election races were already set well before Tuesday’s primary because the candidates ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

Justice Gina Benavides, a Democrat, will face Republican Clarissa Silva in the race for the Place 5 seat, a position Benavides has held since 2007.

Justice Nora Longoria is the Democratic candidate for the Place 2 seat, a position she has held since 2013, and her Republican opponent is Greg Perkes, who previously served as a justice on the court from 2011 to 2016.

Rodolfo “Rudy” Delgado, a Hidalgo County district court judge — who is currently suspended from the bench due to a federal felony indictment — is the Democratic candidate for the Place 4 seat and will face Republican Jaime Tijerina.

County Clerk Arturo Guajardo will stay put despite being challenged in the primary by one of his former employees.

Meanwhile, voters will need to head back to the polls to choose the next county treasurer as none of the candidates in the four-way race secured enough votes to avoid a runoff.

Guajardo took 67 percent of the vote or 26,981 votes compared to his opponent Rene Perez’s about 33 percent of the vote or 13,548 votes.

Perez worked as an administrative assistant and deputy clerk at the Hidalgo County Clerk’s Office. The clerk is responsible for the upkeep of county records.

Businessman David Salazar, 39, of Edinburg and former Hidalgo County Community Service Agency case manager Lita Leo, 40, of La Joya will face each other in the May Runoff election.

Salazar received 12,280 votes or about 30 percent of the vote compared to Leo’s 11,333 votes or 27 percent of the vote. Challengers Eloy Avila and Raudel “Raudy” Maldonado earned 9,447 and 8,298 votes, respectively. Avila and Maldonado did not make the runoff.

Current Hidalgo County Treasurer Norma Garcia will retire in January after holding office for more than two decades.

1. READ THE MOTION

McALLEN — The trial for a former Hidalgo County bailiff accused of forging a federal judge’s signature and participating in a drug conspiracy will be delayed a couple of months.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez granted a continuance Wednesday for Oscar De La Cruz, who faces one count of forgery and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

De La Cruz’s attorney, Ricardo L. Salinas, filed the motion for continuance Wednesday morning, citing the need to review additional discovery.

The defendant is accused of forging former U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos’ signature on a federal seizure warrant, court records show. Ramos retired in December 2017.

According to the indictment, De La Cruz allegedly forged Ramos’ signature “for the purposes of authenticating a document, to wit, an anticipatory search and seizure warrant.”

De La Cruz hired Salinas in late May after his previous attorney, Edinburg-based Santos Maldonado, was forced to withdraw from the case at a May 15 hearing when the court ruled that a conflict existed as a result of Maldonado representing another defendant in the same case.

In addition to forgery, De La Cruz is tied to a conspiracy charge in which the government alleges the defendants conspired to possess and distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine between January 2016 and February 2018, the indictment states.

The government believes De La Cruz used his access to sensitive court and law enforcement records and documents to aide drug smugglers in stealing loads of drugs from suppliers in Mexico.

In De La Cruz’s complaint, individuals referred to as “CS 1” and “CS 2” outlined how they worked with an official at the Hidalgo County courthouse to get their hands on “fictitious” court documents, helping them steal the substance from suppliers.

“CS 1 further stated that during this period, he and others used these false documents to steal more than 5 kilograms of cocaine,” the complaint states.

CS 2 stated he was using someone named “Oscar,” who was working at the Hidalgo County Courthouse, to help them get their hands on the documents.

Eventually, one of these “fake” documents ended up in the hands of federal agents.

De La Cruz’s trial, which was supposed to begin on Aug. 7, is now rescheduled to Oct. 2, court records show. He remains free on a $200,000 bond.

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Rio Bank will grow by about $200 million in assets when it merges with Elsa State Bank & Trust, an agreement likely to be finalized in August.

The board of directors of both Rio and Elsa State banks unanimously approved the merger, according to a news release announcing the proposition.

The transaction still has to clear regulatory hurdles, but the deal is likely to close in mid-to-late August, according to Rio Bank Executive Vice President Craig Lewis.

Talks about merging began in 2015, according to Lewis, but the boards officially committed to signing a letter of intent on Wednesday.

Currently, Rio Bank has about $350 million in assets, and with the acquisition is expected to grow to $550 million.

The Elsa-based bank also owns branches in Edinburg, Weslaco, Edcouch, Rio Grande City and Roma with ATMs in Mercedes, San Carlos and San Isidro.

“We’re both in the Rio Grande Valley,” Lewis said about both banks, “And all of their locations are where we are not.”

Rio Bank runs nine branches located in McAllen, Brownsville, Weslaco, Harlingen, San Juan and Palmview, but none in Starr County or in the Delta area. Rio Bank will own 14 branches once the transaction is finalized.

“All of the (new) locations work out really good,” Lewis said.

Rio Bank belongs to the Allpoints ATM network, which allows customers to withdraw cash without paying surcharges at several locations throughout the country including at Walgreens and Costco.

Rio Bank also stands to benefit from Elsa State Bank’s agricultural lending program, according to Lewis, who said the banks share a similar community banking philosophy and will benefit one another.

“Our customers and employees will like the idea of merging with another locally owned bank in the Valley,” Elsa State Bank Chairman Glenn Bell said. “Rio shares the same values and culture as Elsa State Bank & Trust Company.”

The merger will result in approximately $350 million in loans and $477 million in deposits for the combined company, according to the news release.

Once approved, “money is paid to Elsa State Bank shareholders, and the two banks become one under Rio Bank,” Lewis said.

Rio Bank aims to retain Elsa State Bank employees, Lewis said.

“We plan on continuing the same quality customer service that they’re used to,” Lewis said.

PHARR — Unanswered questions and concerns over a bold proposal to adopt a charter-like status at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district have teachers doubting the move and union representatives urging a vote against it.

“It is still a very, very dangerous bill and it is exactly what the reformers — the education reformers — … wanted and it is to privatize public schools, ” said Patty Quinzi, legislative counsel for the Texas American Federation of Teachers.

Still, there were several claims presented at a recent meeting that were later proven to be inaccurate.

Quinzi led a presentation at a forum organized by the PSJA school district AFT steering committee. Concerns and confusion over the plan seemed to be widespread among the 150 to 200 community members and district employees who attended the meeting to hear more on Superintendent Daniel King’s proposal to adopt Senate Bill 1882.

The bill was intended to give districts with low-performing campuses the option to partner with public charters or other education-focused entities to run these schools as a last hope attempt to turn them around.

The state would then provide additional time free of sanctions to improve campus attainment and, in some cases, the funds to match that of a charter school.

This type of partnership can also be adopted as an “Innovation Partnership,” in which the campus doesn’t have to be underperforming.

This is where PSJA school district campuses would fall into, according to King’s plan.

THE PLAN

The proposition involves adopting the bill district-wide, citing it as an opportunity to get additional funding — up to $28 million with district-wide implementation, he said — and to allow teachers a greater say-so in campus operations and initiatives.

King first presented the full proposition to teachers a few weeks ago when he began a tour of schools to visit with teachers in person.

But with only a skeleton of the plan worked out, teachers’ concerns have since ranged from their ability to actually be empowered in a campus if they are yet to know who will lead the education-focused nonprofits, to whether this could lead to a complete charter transitiion over the years.

“A lot of what he is saying in terms of empowerment of teachers and additional salaries and raises is not exactly possible under this bill and under the commissioner’s law,” Quinzi said.

The Texas Education Agency’s rules for the implementation of the bill state the partnering organizations would be given control over operations including hiring and curriculum.

King’s plan, however, proposes creating contracts in which education-focused nonprofits will be held accountable via a contract for empowering teachers to innovate and involving them in the decision-making process. And while he admits this differs with TEA’s rules, King said he is committed to moving forward with the implementation so long as the commissioner approves it as is.

The bill only requires him to consult with district stakeholders, something that teachers also appeared doubtful over. But when asked again about this concern, King said he is asking teachers to first vote on the matter and to only move forward with the implementation in the campuses where a majority of teachers vote in favor.

“I’ve already committed that I am not going to take it forward if they vote no,” he said. “What we are putting together meets all of the intent of the law, and as far as the commissioner’s rules, it’s going to be up to him to decide whether he can waive those or not… if we are not allowed to do it in the empowering teachers way, then we are not going to do it.”

Their concerns have been echoed by not only AFT but by the Texas Classroom Teachers. Which in a letter sent to PSJA members last week, officials stated they heard the same plan from King. But at the end of the day, if the commissioner requests amendments to the plan the decision would rest with the board of trustees.

INACCURATE PRESENTATION

Among the recurring fears, additional claims against the district were made during the May 22 AFT meeting that required clarification. Quinzi stated that over the years, the district spent more than $500,000 in payments to lobbyists tied to the privatization of public school districts.

“Public schools and public entities are not supposed to spend public dollars on lobbying, that is explicitly prohibited,” Quinzi stated. “So when we looked at PSJA and did a word search under the Ethics Report we were shocked to find four lobbyists making a total of up to $250,000 this year.”

While most public entities are prohibited from using state funds for lobbying, this doesn’t apply to local funds, a point Quinzi admitted to failing to clarify during the meeting.

The PSJA school district provided The Monitor a contract signed by King, Leticia Van de Putte and Hope Andrade, contracting the firm Andrade-Van de Putte and Associates as: “Consultant with respect to various activities related to the public affairs agenda pf PSJA.”

It also gives the firm permission to use Premier Legislative Consulting as a subcontracting firm.

The two-year contract for $6,500 per month took effect on Nov. 1, 2016, and allowed for up to two additional renewals of two-year terms. Services requested included lobbying on behalf of PSJA’s interest in the matters of budgeting. King said the hire was made ahead of a legislative session in which they feared more budget cuts.

This monthly payment amounts to $78,000 per year, as per the contract. But the Texas Ethics Commission only discloses client payments or prospect payments in ranges. Meaning the PSJA school district’s prospect annual payment to Andrade-Van de Putte falls under the $50,000 to $99,999.99 range.

Quinzi did mention that the agency did not see the contract before the presentation. But she failed to clarify was that in the two years that she mentioned, PSJA’s payment would have fallen anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000 for this contract, presenting only the highest possible number to attendees.

The same was done with payments to a subcontractor used by Andrade-Van De Putte, the firm Premier Legislative Consulting, with David John Hubbard and Ian Michael Randolph.

Alexis Fonseca, compliance director and office manager at Andrade-Van De Putte, explained lobbyists must report as individuals and not under the firm.

Hubbard and Randolph each get $1,625 per month from the monthly $6,500 paid to Andrade-Van De Putte, she said, amounting to $19,500 each per year.

Under the ethics commission, this falls under the bracket of $10,000 to $25,000 as reported from 2016 to 2018.

In her presentation, Quinzi outlined that the PSJA school district had paid Leticia Van de Putte up to $200,000 in 2017-18 and over $500,000 between 2013 and 2016 to a lobbyist representing Educate Texas.

But the $500,000 figure was obtained by adding each maximum amount reported per lobbyist, which is inaccurate considering that the money came from the same $78,000.

Between Nov. 1, 2016 and Nov. 1, 2018, the district is expected to pay a total of about $162,500, as per the contract. There were no payments by the PSJA school district to any lobbyist between 2013 and 2015 as per the commission’s website.

When asked why these numbers were not accurately presented, Quinzi stated it wasn’t her intention to mislead anybody and admitted to omitting information, and also misunderstand how these numbers are reported.

“I should have been clearer to say that this was a range,” she said in an interview after the meeting. “But in order for us to really know what that actual amount is, we submitted a couple of public information requests to the school district to find out … so we submitted that a few days ago.”

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS

Other than the lobbying, there were also conversations about public school-charter partnerships, she said, dating back to 2015, which was long before SB 1882 was passed and prior to King looking into its implementation, which he stated was in November 2017.

Quinzi presented an example of an email sent in January 2015 by John Fitzpatrick, executive director of Educate Texas, and addressed to El Paso school district Superintendent Juan Cabrera and former Dallas school district superintendent Mike Miles, in which a handful of other people, among them King, where copied.

The subject of the email was “District Charter Alliance presentation Tuesday 1/27 by GPISD/SPISD/KIPP/UPLIFT,” and it read: “Great to see you today over lunch. Per our conversation about your interest about ISD/CMO collaboration efforts underway in greater Houston and DFW, wanted to share the details about the District-Charter Alliance presentation tomorrow.”

King admitted to being a part of the District Charter Alliance along with the school districts of El Paso, Grand Prairie and San Antonio. He stated he was approached by the group in 2015 as an opportunity to come together to find common ground ahead of the legislative session and the usual funding fight.

“They had been asking me to join ever since they first formed, and eventually I decided to join,” King said. “I felt, ‘You know what, it’s best to sit down and talk to them and find out what they are thinking and what we can agree on.’ You don’t learn by isolating yourself.”

But it was too early for him to start thinking of a move of this kind, he said, as even when the bill was introduced it was intended solely to help only struggling schools, and that wouldn’t have applied to PSJA.

It wasn’t until he read an article and realized that there was room for implementation focused on innovation that he became interested, he said. He then worked on the pitch and met with Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, he added, who gave him the figure of $906 per student in additional funding per year and provided positive feedback on the plan.

If the state didn’t provide the funds, or if these were to be taken back from the district after implementation, King said the district wouldn’t implement it or would end the partnerships, as this would mean spending their own funds to pay the nonprofits.

Each campus is being asked to vote this week as the next part of the application would be to take it before the board and submit all materials by July 2 and receive an answer by July 23.

And while King said he understands this is rushed, he said it was hard to pass up the opportunity to possibly get additional funding for the upcoming school year, especially not knowing how long the law will be in place.

“Sometimes when you are in a situation where the potential is there to go for something and you don’t go for it later on, it is like you missed the opportunity,” King said. “It might be that the door closes. What we are talking about is innovative. There’s a lot of things that could happen in a year or two.”