Harlandale Independent School District’s board of trustees will see no shake-ups this year as the two incumbents up for reelection May 3 kept their seats against familiar faces.
District 2 and District 4 incumbents Erica Salazar and Norma Cavazos kept their seats after being challenged by previous Harlandale board members David Sosa and David Abundis.
Harlandale ISD, serving about 11,500 students on the South Side, has been under the control of a Texas Education Agency-appointed conservator since 2020. The appointment followed an investigation into the district, which found Harlandale’s board of trustees failed to monitor district finances, acted individually on behalf of the board and violated the Texas Open Meetings Act through group text messages among board members.
The district avoided a state takeover when three new trustees were elected and the board fired the superintendent.
Like many school districts in San Antonio, the district faces a looming budget deficit of $12 million. In 2023, the board voted to close four schools to address lower enrollment and the budget deficit.
Cavazos voted against the measure to close schools in a 4-3 vote.
“One goal is that the district has stable and compliant financial management,” conservator Judy Castleberry told the Report last year. “I think the board understands what has to be done in order to keep the district financially solvent, so they’re on track.”
The Texas Education Commissioner has the final authority on which sanctions are lifted or extended, Castleberry said. Board members must also refrain from attempting to influence administrative decision-making and spend at least 35% of board meeting time on student outcomes to receive the recommendation, she added.
Appointed incumbent keeps school board seat in District 2
Taking 58.3% of the vote, Salazar held onto her school board seat, beating challenger Sosa, a retired veteran who previously served on the board for 12 years as president and vice president.
Salazar was appointed to the District 4 seat in 2024 after the trustee at the time, Christine Carrillo, was arrested on assault charges and later resigned.
Salazar has worked in education for 12 years, including as a special education teacher and then an academic dean at Harlandale ISD, before becoming a realtor.
Salazar could not be reached by the time of publication.
Incumbent faces familiar rival in District 4 race
In District 4, incumbent Cavazos, a legal assistant appointed to the board in 2019, took 57% of the vote against long-term board member Abundis.
The two are not strangers to each other.
Abundis previously served on the board and resigned amid a TEA investigation. He hoped to make a comeback by unseating the person who replaced him in 2019. In 2013, Cavazos and Abundis ran for the same seat, with Abundis emerging victorious.
Cavazos was appointed to take over Abundis’ seat in 2019 and successfully ran for the seat in 2021. She also served as board president from July 2020 to May 2023.
“This victory is not just a personal achievement; it’s a testament to the strength and unity of our community. Together, we’ve proven that when we stand united, there’s no challenge we can’t overcome,” Cavazos said in a statement.
The seats for districts 1 and 3 were also up for election, but the two incumbents, Louie Luna and Juan Mancha, ran unopposed.
Andrea Drusch contributed to this report.
