Former trustee challenges Place 2 incumbent on SISD board
Once again, Alejandro Rodriguez and Julio Cerda face off in the Place 2 race for the Sharyland ISD board of trustees election. But this time, the roles are reversed. Rodriguez, the incumbent, unseated Cerda in the 2020 trustee election after Cerda held the position for six years. Now, both men hope their reputations on the…
Read MoreTwo first-time candidates compete for SISD Place 1 trustee
With longtime Sharyland trustee Ricky Longoria vacating his seat on the SISD school board, Meagan Sullivan and Sergio Saenz go head-to-head to take over Place 1. The two candidates entered the election race with differently focused campaigns. Saenz has a platform rooted in safety and security, while Sullivan made communication and transparency the bedrock of…
Read MoreHighlights from the Sharyland trustee forum
The four candidates in the upcoming Sharyland ISD election assembled at Futuro RGV’s forum to discuss their priorities for the district and views on hot topics in Texas education. The Place 1 race consists of Sergio Saenz and Meagan Sullivan — the former, a business owner and the latter, an educator. While Saenz made safety…
Read MoreDrainage bond to be on the upcoming ballot
Voters in Hidalgo County have the opportunity to address long-standing drainage issues in the upcoming election without raising their taxes. The $195 million drainage bond that will be on the May election ballot will not increase the tax rate. Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 representatives said they have managed their debt, so they can…
Read MoreMission Animal Shelter distemper free, critically full
When the RGV Humane Society took over operations of the Mission Animal Shelter in February, they unknowingly walked into a distemper outbreak. But after weeks of testing and euthanizing the infected, the shelter reported all animals clear of the deadly disease. The next step is ensuring surges like this never happen again. Distemper is a…
Read MoreTeachers’ Rights Bill passes, moves to House
Texas senators passed a $1.6 billion education bill that would provide pay raises for teachers and support for better working conditions. Senate Bill 9 includes explicit recommendations from the Teacher Vacancy Task Force that Gov. Greg Abbott put together to address teacher retention and recruitment. And although the bill is divisive among educators, it has…
Read More‘It’s good to be back’ Mission hires new fire chief
It’s been 25 years since Fire Chief Adrian Garcia lived in Mission, but he said he is glad to be back. The 49-year-old was born in McAllen but raised in Mission. He started his career in the fire service industry at the Mission Fire Department in 1991, but life’s path pulled him away from the…
Read MoreNew health director hired in Mission
Steven Kotsatos joins the City of Mission staff with more than two decades of government experience and 11 years of environmental health service experience under his belt. The Ohio native became the health director March 20, and so far, he is enjoying his time in the new role. “I like it. Everyone here is very…
Read MoreNew bills impacting taxpayers, South Texas ISD funding
School districts across Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties banded together in an attempt to change legislation that affects taxes and South Texas ISD funding. State Rep. Sergio Muñoz (D-Palmview) recently introduced two bills that could set those changes into motion. In January, Mission CISD and Sharyland ISD joined about 20 RGV districts in passing a…
Read MoreGetting to know Shimotsu’s interim principal
This article originally ran in the March 10 issue of the Progress Times. Elizabeth Gongora has been the Shimotsu Elementary interim principal for about a month, and her focus has been ensuring the students and employees have everything they need. “Each day has given me opportunities to connect with others: students, teachers, parents, campus and…
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