School board appoints two

SAN JUAN - The Pharr-San Juan- Alamo school board appointed two Alamo residents Monday to replace embattled trustees who resigned several months ago after pleading guilty to their role in a bribery scheme.

The new board members - Ramona Barron and Gilbert Herrera - assumed their duties immediately, replacing Evangelina "Vangie" De Leon and Rogelio "Roy" Rodriguez.

Barron and Herrera join a board long embroiled in scandal after federal indictments alleged some then-trustees, as well as then-schools superintendent Arturo Guajardo, had accepted gifts from contractors seeking work from the district.

On Monday, School Board President Ben Garza said the new appointments are an important step for the district, as it tries to move past the controversy. For months, the two seats have remained vacant.

Garza said many people responded to their informal request for applicants. He stressed that Barron and Herrera's appointments were not politically motivated.

"Knowing who they are and what they represent was really the bottom line," said J. Fernando Lopez, a school board member.

Neither Barron nor Herrera is a political newcomer. Barron unsuccessfully ran against Rodriguez for his seat in 2002, and Herrera served as a school board member from 1993 to 1996. He was board president in 1996.

 "I know how the system works," Herrera said. "I enjoyed it back then. I think with my background, I can help the rest of the board provide what's best for the students and taxpayers."

Herrera, 59, said he spent 25 years working for Texas Education Agency's Region One office, which serves the Rio Grande Valley, in several positions that included business manager, facilities director and risk manager. He said he is "semi-retired" but has a construction company that does business with the Harris County Department of Education in Houston.

Barron, 52, works for the Texas Migrant Council, a non-profit that serves children of migrant farm workers. She was a campaign worker for Sandra Rodriguez, who unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, this spring, according to Rodriguez's campaign finance records.

Barron and Herrera are set to serve on the board until November, when Rodriguez and De Leon would have been up for re-election. They would have to file for re-election to stay on. Herrera said he plans to; Barron said she still hadn't decided.

"They're both very reputable people that bring a lot to the table," Lopez said. "I think we'll be able to continue to work together in the best interest of the kids."

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Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.