BROWN, EX BISD P.I.O., FILES FOR NOV. BOARD ELECTIONS

By Juan Montoya

For years, media people knew Drue Brown as the information source on stories they were writing about the Brownsville Independent School District.

If there was a way to find the information, Brown would have it.

Now, retired after many years at BISD, Brown has thrown her hat in the ring for the next round of board elections in November.

Brown's lists her intention to run for Position 1, the seat now being held by board president Cesar Lopez. That makes four challengers against Lopez that include Brown, Timmy Ramirez, and Joe Valdez.

But in Brownsville's byzantine politics, things aren't always the way they appear. Insiders close to her campaign say that Brown doesn't really want to run against Lopez, that her real target is Carlos Elizondo, the discredited (and indicted) former Brownsville Fire Department chief.

"She's weighting her options, but as far as we know, it's Carlos she want to run against," said a close supporter. "With the charges of theft and breaching of computer security, voters will stay away from him in droves. That's the low-hanging fruit everyone wants. I think Due is just biding her time."

Brown held the PIO position for 25 years before her retirement in June 2017. 

In 1992, when current BISD Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas came on board the first time, she appointed Brown to the position after snagging her from her post as Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) director, a position that encompasses all data requested and received by TEA about public education, including student demographic and academic performance, personnel, financial, and organizational information.

In her retirement letter, Brown said there have been “many proud moments” in her BISD career.

“The highlights include BISD’s selection as the 2008 Broad Prize recipient, two successful bond issues and the recent Tax Ratification Election, the district’s annual United Way campaign, the holiday canned food and toy drives, the Superintendent’s Scholarship Golf Tournament which has awarded more than $1 million in college funds to deserving BISD graduates over 14 years, the implementation of both the School Messenger notification system and the BISD Mobile App, and the expansion of our district marketing efforts to include television, radio, digital billboards, and social media.”

Brown is a graduate of North Texas State University in Denton with a double major in English and history. She received a master's degree in secondary education from Pan American University-Brownsville. Her career in education began as a classroom teacher at Faulk Middle School. She also taught at Hanna High School and Oliveira Middle School.

She has been married to Dave Brown, a former KRGV Channel 5 sports anchor who is now her treasurer.

She is also the proud mother of Jeff Brown, a graduate of Texas State University who now serves as an officer with the U.S. Coast Guard.