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San Benito Consolidated Independent School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for election on May 9, 2015. Places 1, 2 and 3 were on the ballot.
Incumbent Fatima Huerta ran for re-election to the Place 3 seat instead of her current Place 1 seat. She faced Place 3 incumbent Yliana Gonzalez and former Place 4 board member Joe Gonzalez on the ballot. The open Place 1 race featured Michael Vargas and returning candidate Rene Salinas.[1]
Orlando Lopez, also a returning candidate, challenged Place 2 incumbent Anna Cruz in her re-election bid.[1]
Michael Vargas defeated Rene Salinas for the Place 1 seat. Joe Gonzalez defeated Fatima Huerta and Yliana Gonzalez for the Place 3 seat. Incumbent Anna Cruz won re-election for Place 2 against Orlando Lopez.[2]
The winners of this election joined the district's new superintendent in tackling the consequences of an unbalanced budget. While initially a large reduction in staff seemed necessary to make up for several year's of overspending, other suggested plans hoped to avoid such a winnowing.
About the district
San Benito Consolidated Independent School District is located in Cameron County in southern Texas. The county seat is Brownsville. The county was home to an estimated 417,276 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] San Benito Consolidated Independent School District was the 92nd-largest school district in Texas, serving 11,387 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[4]
Demographics
Cameron County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and poverty rate in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 15.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in Cameron County was $33,179, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 34.8 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[3]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The San Benito Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. While elected at large, candidates run for specific numbered seats on the board. The seat numbers do not correlate to geographic districts or specific schools in the district. Rather, they serve to separate the elections for each seat on the board into its own race. Candidates filed to run for a specific seat, but all voters in the school district were eligible to vote for both seats up for election.
There was no primary election, and the general election was held on May 9, 2015. Place 1, 2 and 3 seats were up for election. The candidate filing deadline for this election was February 27, 2015.[6]
A member of the board must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident of the district. An individual seeking office must be a resident of the state for 12 months and a resident of the district for six months prior to the last date on which the candidate could file to be listed on the ballot.[7]
In order to vote in this election, citizens of the district had to register to vote by April 11, 2015, 28 days prior to the general election. Texas requires voter identification. At polling places, every voter must present a Texas driver's license, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas concealed handgun license, a United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph, a United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph or a United States passport.
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 1
| Rene Salinas | Michael Vargas 
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Place 2
| Anna Cruz
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Orlando Lopez | ||
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Place 3
| Yliana Gonzalez | Fatima Huerta | Joe Gonzalez
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Election results
Place 1
| San Benito Consolidated Independent School District, Place 1 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Michael Vargas |
60.7% | 1,516 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rene Salinas | 39.3% | 983 | |
| Total Votes | 2,499 | |||
| Source: Elisabeth Cervantes, Email conversation with Public Information Officer for San Benito CISD Isabel C. González, January 13, 2016 | ||||
Place 2
| San Benito Consolidated Independent School District, Place 2 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Anna Cruz Incumbent |
50.8% | 1,283 | |
| Nonpartisan | Orlando Lopez | 49.2% | 1,241 | |
| Total Votes | 2,524 | |||
| Source: Elisabeth Cervantes, Email conversation with Public Information Officer for San Benito CISD Isabel C. González, January 13, 2016 | ||||
Place 3
| San Benito Consolidated Independent School District, Place 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Joe Gonzalez |
50.3% | 1,269 | |
| Nonpartisan | Yliana Gonzalez Incumbent | 26.4% | 666 | |
| Nonpartisan | Fatima Huerta Incumbent | 23.3% | 589 | |
| Total Votes | 2,524 | |||
| Source: Elisabeth Cervantes, Email conversation with Public Information Officer for San Benito CISD Isabel C. González, January 13, 2016 | ||||
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements as of May 5, 2015.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of May 7, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[8]
Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[9]
Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[10]
Past elections
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2014Place 4
Place 5
Place 6
Place 7
2012Place 1
Place 2
Place 3
2011Place 4
Place 5
Place 6
Place 7
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the district
Budget problems
Due to decreasing enrollment, increased staff and healthcare costs, the San Benito CISD faced an unbalanced budget in the spring of 2015. Over the last few years, the district had outspent its budget by $12 million dollars. Students leaving the district to attend charter and private schools were pointed to as the reason for enrollment decline. Board President Arnold Padilla explained the problem, saying, "We were losing students, (but) we weren't reducing staff. We were actually increasing staff."[11]
He also stated that the district's former healthcare plan, developed before his tenure on the board, put the district overbudget for the last three years. He explained the rational behind the original implementation of the plan, saying, "There weren't any raises being provided ... so the consultant, at least I feel, may have developed a benefit program that said, 'Well, if we can't give you a raise, we're going to give you a very good benefits package.'"[11]
As the district struggled to balance its budget, the board authorized a reduction in force in early April 2015.[11] Originally, it was thought as many as 300 staff positions would be cut from the district to make up the shortfall. Later in April, however, the district seemed on course to avoid losing many of those positions.[12]
At the board meeting on April 16, 2015, Superintendent Marc Puig announced another plan that would use attrition spending, the process of simply not refilling positions as contracts expire or are otherwise vacated. He stated at the meeting that the district saved $2.5 million since January 2015 through 65 unfilled positions. The plan also included some reorganization of the existing staff members. A complete plan to maintain solvency for the district was not finalized at the April meeting, and any such action would require a final approval from the board before it could take effect.[12]
New superintendent assumes role
On January 1, 2015, Dr. Marc Puig became the superintendent for the San Benito district. Puig was the superintendent of Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District from May 2012 until assuming his post at San Benito. He earned approximately $101,000 annually in that position. The CCAISD was rated as "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency in 2013. Puig earned the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor for his research in public school governance and student achievement. He was also the Region 18 Superintendent of the Year and a mentor superintendent for the Texas Association of School Administrators Learning for Leadership Program. Puig worked as a principal in the Dallas Independent School District prior to becoming superintendent at CCAISD.[13]
The school board voted unanimously to approve his appointment on November 6, 2014. The appointment came after the investigation, suspension, eventual reinstatement and reassignment of former superintendent Antonio G. Limón.[14]
Limón suspension and investigation
Board President Yliana Gonzalez led the charge for Limón to be placed on suspension, which the board approved by a majority vote on May 23, 2013. The board had been evaluating the superintendent on a monthly basis since December 2012.[15] In a special meeting on August 19, 2013, the board voted four to three to pay Guerra & Farah, a law firm in El Paso, $150 an hour to investigate the superintendent. The meeting, however, was a heated one. Board member Oscar Medrano accused González of giving a list of 64 accusations against Limón to the firm without first presenting that list to the rest of the board. Medrano also called the investigation a waste of district resources.[16]
Then-Place 4 Trustee June Aguilera argued that the board members had discussed the accusations in executive session, though she also stated that none of the other trustees had seen González's list. González then accused Medrano of violating open meeting laws by discussing the topics of the executive session with the public.[16]
While the full list of accusations was not made public, it was indicated that Limón had been accused of hindering a police investigation against Alfredo Hernandez, a former choir teacher at Berta Cabaza Middle School who was arrested for solicitation of a minor. Limón denied these accusations and stated that he complied with the advice of the district's attorney to turn over all evidence to the Harlingen Police Department. The Cameron County District Attorney later stated that Hernandez's computer had not been handed over, but Limón stated that the computer was turned over by school police at the DA's request.[16]
As of December 2013, over $6,000 had been spent in an investigation of the superintendent regarding mismanagement. Pending the investigation, Ismael S. Cantú served as interim superintendent.[17] During his suspension, the district had continued to pay Limón as well as Cantú.[18]
Reinstatement, reassignment and resignation
On May 26, 2014, the board voted five to two to reinstate Limón, and he returned to the position on June 5, 2014. Nevertheless, part of the agreement for his return was that the district would begin searching for his replacement and that he would move into a different position in the district for at least two years.[18] On July 1, 2014, he assumed his new role as assistant superintendent of human resources. He resigned from that position in February 2015 with a year and a half left on his contract.[19]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Texas school board elections in May 2015:[6][9]
| Deadline | Event |
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| January 28, 2015 | First day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015- May 5, 2015 |
Early in-person voting period |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
The ballot included municipal elections in addition to these school trustee elections. San Benito City Commissioner Places 3 and 4 were up for election on May 9, 2015, as well.[20]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms San Benito CISD Texas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| San Benito Consolidated Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
- San Benito Consolidated Independent School District
- Cameron County Clerk
- Cameron County, Texas
- Texas Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Celia Longoria, San Benito CISD Director of Communications," March 2, 2015
- ↑ Cameron County Clerk, "Summary Rept-group Detail: Unofficial Until Canvass," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Cameron County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Cameron County," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Texas Secretary of State, "May 9, 2015 Election Law Calendar," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ San Benito CISD, "Board Member Qualifications," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 7, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 KRGV.com, "San Benito CISD: Reductions Will Be Spread Throughout District," April 7, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 ValleyCentral.com, "San Benito school board decision to resolve financial crisis pushed back," April 16, 2015
- ↑ The Brownsville Herald, "Puig prepares to take helm at SBCISD," November 7, 2014
- ↑ ValleyCentral.com, "San Benito CISD names Marc Puig as superintendent," November 6, 2014
- ↑ San Benito News, "Officers allege illegal conduct in SBCISD lawsuit," July 18, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Valley Morning Star, "Board members want list of allegations against Limon," August 20, 2013
- ↑ San Benito News, "Over $6K spent on Limón probe thus far," December 13, 2013
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 ValleyCentral.com, "San Benito school board reinstates Limon, investigation is now closed," May 26, 2015
- ↑ San Benito News, "Limón to retire after nearly three decades," January 9, 2015
- ↑ City of San Benito, "NOTICE OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE SAN BENITO CITY COMMISSION," January 20, 2015
| 2015 San Benito Consolidated Independent School District Elections | |
| Cameron County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Place 1: Rene Salinas • Michael Vargas
Place 2: Incumbent, Anna Cruz • Orlando Lopez Place 3: Incumbent, Yliana Gonzalez • Incumbent, Fatima Huerta • Joe Gonzalez |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
