CALLER-TIMES ENDORSES SANCHEZ, REJECTS RUBEN CORTEZ TO TEXAS SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION

By Juan Montoya

In what surely would be the most extreme travesty that could be perpetuated against the schools, students and teachers of the Lone Start State, former Brownsville independent School District trustee who the voters rejected two years ago and sent him and his cohorts packing now wants you to elect him to the Texas State Board of Education.

You read right.

The affable Mr. Cortez, a high school graduate, wants you to send him to Austin to ride herd over the education system and rule over seasoned professionals, paraprofessionals, and educators. And, if his stint on the BISD board is any indicator, we can expect him to cozy up to vendors far and wide and open the offers of the state schools to profiteers at the students' and taxpayers' expense.

In these primary elections voters will have the opportunity to stand up for the students and

teachers of our great state by electing one of 15 new members of the Texas School Board of Education.The residents of District 2 have an opportunity to elect a person who will be our voice Austin. As Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature eye the state’s Public Schools Fund to balance their budget, it is vital that someone defend the people’s interest.

There are three candidates running for District 2 which covers 13 counties, including Cameron and part of Hidalgo. One is San Benito ISD Asst. Superintendent and city commissioner Celeste Z. Sanchez, Kingsville pharmacist Larry E. Garza, and Cortez. Mr. Garza, while a good candidate and past trustee in his district, cannot compare in service or professional

record to Ms. Sanchez’s more than 45 years in classroom and educational administration. Cortez, on the other hand, has only a high school diploma and no classroom or educational administrative experience. He is, at best, a politician looking for a stepping stone for higher office.

While a Brownsville ISD trustee, Cortez:

*Was personally sued at least three times for defamation, retaliation, conspiracy to silence, rig an insurance contract to favor his political supporters, plotting to intimidate and more. By 2010, BISD had spent more than $228,447 in legal fees prosecuting and defending these cases. Two of these cases are st

ill in costly litigation, one in state court and another in federal court. He and his cronies on the board authorized the spending about $400,000 to Harlingen hired legal gun Nic Navarro to justify firing former superintendent Hector Gonzales, Chief Financial Officer Tony Juarez, and Special Needs director Art Rendon. That was apart from the additional $75,000 the BISD counsel charged to appeal the denial of qualified immunity for the former board majority by a federal judge. The meter is still running.

*Along with a board majority, he gutted the district’s 2008 reserve fund of $176 million to $71 million in

2010 to cover cost overruns that benefited architects and building contractors. Not surprisingly, some of these same vendors have been his political contributors.

*At least three times, he has been delinquent with his taxes, and tax office records indicate he is still delinquent on some of his properties.

Cortez, whose cynical slogan is “Keeping Politics out of the Classroom,” was sued by former

Special Needs Department Director Art Rendon, who stated in a sworn deposition in his case (Southern District of Texas 1:10-cv-00198) against Cortez and the board majority that:

"58. On or about June, 2008, Ruben Cortez, a sitting board member on BISD, contacted Plaintiff directly via telephone. He instructed Plaintiff to hire his sister, Linda Aguilar, for summer school employment as a Special Education teacher.

59. Plaintiff informed Mr. Cortez that BISD had hiring policies in place and instructed him that the hiring application for the summer of 2008 had already been accepted and processed.

60. Cortez sent Plaintiff his sister's application and insisted Plaintiff call her immediately and giver her a job. Plaintiff set up a meeting between Cortez's sister Linda, Ana Lerma, who was a Special Education supervisor, and Dr. Lee Garcia, Assistant Director for Special Services. At the meeting, Ruben Cortez's orders were followed, and Linda Aguilar was given a job for the summer of 2008.

Do we really want someone who has shown time and again that what matters to him is not the welfare and education of our children, but rather the benefit of his cronies and his relatives?

Or do we want a proven public servant with impeccable educational credentials who

is highly-qualified to represent our schools in Austin?

If you a re a parent with children in the public schools, the logical choice would be to elect Celeste Sanchez for TSBOE District 2. Unlike Cortez, she has a Master’s Degree from Texas A&I as well as Mid-Management, supervision, Special Education and Bilingual Education certification.

To us, it's a no brainer. Keep Cortez away from Austin or nay policy-making position that he may want as a stepping stone to further his political career.
(As we published this post we were informed that the Corpus Christi-Caller newspaper had endorsed the nomination of Sanchez in the Democratic primary. Below if their rationale:

"Sanchez is an education professional with 45 years experience. Garza, a pharmacist who comes from a family of teachers, has been a Kingsville school board member for 19 years. Cortez, whose wife is a school principal, has been a Brownsville school board member and serves on the Region 1 Education Service Center board. Sanchez, an assistant superintendent with San Benito ISD, is the best choice. Her range of professional experience is impressive, from bilingual to gifted-and-talented education to administrator. She is a living history of latter-20th and early 21st century Texas public education, including seven years as an assistant superintendent at Edgewood ISD, the plaintiff in the landmark court case that resulted in the so-called Robin Hood method of seeking equitable school funding. Sanchez's community service resume shows her to be an accomplished networker and community servant. She has been a San Benito city commissioner for seven years and an officer in the Cameron County Democratic Party. She's a Rotarian and has served on business and economic development boards.")