School districts across Bexar County are facing challenges in the coming years, with the end of federal COVID-19 funding setting up a fiscal disaster for some, ongoing learning shortfalls and a drop in attendance following the pandemic and a mental health crisis that continues to impact students.
Teacher shortages across the country also have pressured districts to become more competitive and creative, offering shorter school weeks, more planning time and, in some cases, higher wages. Other districts, including the Harlandale Independent School District, have had to close schools and reorganize in order to make up for budget deficits.
All of those issues make the 16 school board races across Bexar County important and competitive, with 37 candidates vying for those positions.
Election day is May 6, with early voting beginning on April 24 and ending on May 2.
Northside ISD
In Northside ISD, District 1 trustee Joseph H. Medina is not running for reelection. Vying for his spot are fitness instructor Amy Hoffman and David Salcido, a disabled veteran, according to campaign filing paperwork.
District 2 incumbent Gerald Lopez, a small business owner who has been elected multiple times, is facing two challengers: Manuel Garcia, an A/V production specialist and Mary Olison, a retired educator.
District 3 Trustee M’Lissa M. Chumbley is not seeking reelection. Vying for her spot are: her son, Ty Chumbley, who is a college professor; Vera T. Billingsley, a tutor; and Karla Duran, who works in education, according to campaign filing papers.
Incumbent Bobby Blount, an engineer who was first elected to the board in 1999, is facing six challengers for his District 4 seat.
Those challengers are: George M. Ayala, an accountant; Raul Davila, who is self-employed; Kimberly S. Jones, who works in customer support; Gabriel Lara, a retired firefighter; Mathews Ninan, a consultant and retired officer; and Jordan Jo Wagner, who is self-employed and works as a substitute teacher.
San Antonio ISD
Three seats are up for election in San Antonio ISD, including District 2 where incumbent Alicia M. Sebastian, the board’s vice president who was elected in 2019, will face off against Mateen A. Diop.
Sebastian is currently the executive assistant to the CEO at Essence Preparatory Public School, according to her district biography. Diop is an Air Force veteran and former teacher, principal and school district executive leader with 25 years in the education field, according to his campaign website. He began his teaching career at Harris Middle School and became the founding high school principal of P-TECH at Sam Houston High School. Diop’s campaign filing paperwork lists his current occupation as a consultant.
Patti Radle, who served on the board for more than a decade, including a stint as board president, is not running for reelection in District 5. Vying for her spot is Norberto “Geremy” Landin, a storytelling manager who ran for City Council in 2021, and Stephanie Torres, a caregiver.
Incumbent board President Christina Martinez, who represents District 6 and is the executive director of the Dee Howard Foundation, is facing Valerie Marie Avila, a quality engineer.
Harlandale ISD
Harlandale ISD, which recently voted to close schools and reorganize the district in order to remain solvent amid a $12 million budget deficit, has three races on the ballot in May.
In District 5, voters will decide between Guillermo Altamirano and incumbent Elaine Anaya-Ortiz.
According to campaign filings, Altamirano is a real estate agent and Ortiz works as an administrative assistant.
In District 6, incumbent Elizabeth F. Limon, who retired from HISD, will face off against Rebecca “Becky” Ruiz, who is a real estate agent.
The race for District 7 will be between Jesse Jay Alaniz, who is retired, and incumbent Ricardo Moreno, who is an assistant principal, according to campaign filing paperwork.
Judson ISD
In the Judson Independent School District, incumbent Suzanne Kenoyer, who represents Place 1, is running unopposed.
In the Place 6 at-large race, voters will choose between Laura Stanford, a senior mortgage loan officer, and incumbent Renee A. Paschall, a retired educator.
The Place 7 at-large race is between Monica Michelle Ryan, a veteran and real estate agent, and incumbent Rafael Diaz Jr., a business executive.
The current school board is working quickly to select a new superintendent before the election. Board president Jennifer Rodriguez said the timeline was set to avoid a disruption in the process by new board members potentially joining the board.
“We want to make sure that we’re able to make a decision without disruption,” she said in February. “That’s a major transition if we’re going to have any new board members, and we want to make sure that everything is ready to go before that happens.”
Southwest ISD
The Southwest Independent School District has two at-large spots up for election, and voters will choose from among James Gonzalez, Terri Solis, Pete “Pedro” Bernal, José “Joe” Diaz, Raul Leonida Nuques and Yolanda Garza-Lopez. Bernal and Garza-Lopez are incumbents.
School bonds
In addition to the various school board seats up for election, three school districts are asking voters to approve a variety of bond issues to upgrade technology, sports facilities and security.
Southwest ISD is asking for $250 million to construct two new elementary schools, add classroom wings and fund school safety upgrades, as well as improvements to plumbing, heating and more.
A separate bond issue that will be on the ballot seeks $6.75 million to update and renovate Southwest High School stadium.
The Alamo Heights Independent School District, which canceled school board elections due to the incumbents running unopposed, is seeking approval for three proposals totaling $371 million.
Superintendent Dana Bashara said in a statement that the proposal is the result of “an inclusive and comprehensive process that included conducting facility assessments, gathering input from AHISD stakeholders, studying the Master Plan for Facilities designed in 2016, and continuing the planning started in our last bond in 2017.”
Proposition A, a $344 million bond issue, will fund projects including:
- Updates and renovations to all campuses.
- Technology infrastructure improvements.
- Safety and security.
- New school buses.
- New Early Childhood Center building.
- Renovations to the original building of Alamo Heights High School.
- New central office and learning center.
- Softball field located at the Robbins campus complex that already includes a natatorium and tennis center.
- Additional parking and traffic flow improvements.
Proposition B, a $17.3 million bond issue, will fund projects including:
- Visitor bleacher/athletic facility at Orem Stadium, which includes multipurpose meeting space, team spaces, visitors locker rooms and student sports media program equipment.
Proposition C seeks $9.7 million for projects including:
- Replacement technology for students and staff as part of ongoing lifecycle replacements.
The Comal Independent School District, which is partly in Bexar County, is putting before voters a $635 million bond package that will be split into three propositions on the ballot. The funds will go toward safety and security projects, stadium safety and technology upgrades.
