Dropouts leave five candidates in contested McAllen ISD board races

McAllen residents will see five potential school board newcomers vying for two contested seats in the May election after the board’s longest serving member dropped out of the race last week and another candidate did the same Thursday.

 

That potential newcomer, McAllen Education Foundation board member Jennifer Collins Stone, had filed to run in a four-way race for Place 7 but withdrew Thursday and endorsed opponent Roberto Haddad.

 

 

“I truly appreciate everyone’s words of encouragement and prayers throughout this process,” Stone wrote in a statement. “While I will not be pursuing this position, I remain committed to supporting our teachers, students and school district through my continued role on the McAllen Education Foundation.”

 

Stone endorsed opponent Roberto Haddad, describing him as a lifelong friend.

 

“He is an outstanding man, has great integrity and he comes from a wonderful and supportive family,” she wrote. “I know he will do great things for McAllen ISD”

 

Debbie Crane Aliseda, the board’s longest serving current trustee, withdrew from the race on Saturday.

 

Crane Aliseda was first elected to the board in 2011 and has served on it for 12 years.

 

She currently holds Place 3.

 

In a statement, Crane Aliseda said her youngest child is graduating in May and she felt like it was the right time to depart.

 

Crane Aliseda strongly endorsed one of the two people running for her seat, Robert Carreon.

 

“He is clearly the better candidate and will be a level headed leader for all students in our district,” she wrote in a statement.

 

Carreon is Vice President of Texas Public Affairs at Teach For America, a position he’s held since 2014.

 

A New Mexico native, Carreon moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 2006 as a Teach For America teacher in 2003.

 

Carreon says he’s running because he hopes to leverage his experience in education and as a parent to address a variety of fundamental issues at the district.

 

“I think there’s a constellation of issues that are all deeply connected that I would focus on,” he said. “One is improving student outcomes and student achievement. Two is improving staff satisfaction and retention. Three would be reducing or limiting the decline in student enrollment. And then the last thing would be ensuring structurally sound budgeting. And then across all of those, the orientation I would be is to ensure that the school board has the right policies and procedures in place to allow the superintendent to meet the goals at the district.”

 

Carreon will be running against Allena Cano for Place 3.

 

An attorney, Cano listed her employer as Cano Famco on her filing form.

 

 

Reached for comment, Cano pointed out that she has a campaign page that describes her as a “fed-up parent ready to heed the call of duty,” though in contrast with her opponent and the other candidates running for a contested seat, she declined to be interviewed about her candidacy.

 

The campaign page lists transparency as a chief plank in Cano’s platform.

 

Stone’s withdrawal from the race leaves three candidates competing for Lucia Thompson’s undefended Place 7 seat: Rogelio Aleman II, Haddad, and Tiffany Ramos.

 

Longtime Trustee Sam Saldivar abandoned that seat last year and the board appointed Thompson, who pledged not to seek election, to fill it.

 

Aleman, a disabled veteran who says he’s prepared to devote all of his time to the board, says if he’s elected he’ll focus on tightening district finances in a way that allows McAllen ISD to better pay its employees.

 

“Number one priority is making sure that we have a budget that works for us. Two is helping out the teachers and the staff,” he said. “Because they need a cost of living adjustment.”

 

Haddad, an attorney who is the vice president and counsel for government affairs and policy at DHR Health, says if elected he’d prioritize McAllen ISD’s financial stability and the academic success of its students — two popular priorities with candidates — along with the somewhat more niche goal of improving nutritional health for students.

 

“I think we need to educate our children about what foods they’re eating and make sure that the schools are feeding them healthy foods,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of ultra-processed foods; I think we need to work to get a lot of that stuff out of the schools. And not only feed our children good food, but make sure they’re educated so they can make informed decisions about what they eat.”

 

Ramos, a pharmacy benefit manager, says she wants to bring her perspective as a parent to the board to support innovative education initiatives and to advocate for special education students.

 

“There’s children with learning disabilities. I want to look more into that and see how we can help them, so no one’s education is hindered and no one is left behind,” she said.

 

The last seat up for election on the McAllen school board is Place 7, which current Board President Sofia Peña has held since 2021.

 

No one filed to run against Peña and after May she’ll be the longest consecutive serving member on the board.