AFTER BISD BOARD SANCTION VOTE, CASTRO BARES IT ALL

(Ed.s' Note: As the dysfunctional board of trustees of the Brownsville Independent School District careens toward an unknown future, self-styled whistle blower Erasmo Castro - facing a removal action in district court - is baring his soul all over cyberspace. This followed by a vote from fellow board members to sanction him at the meeting Wednesday. The following was sent to us and is now on his Facebook page. We reprint it here FYI.)  

By Erasmo Castro

Trustee, Brownsville Independent School District

The Board Attorney has colluded with my detractors to form a narrative. I will await the process. Why is he and his handlers hell bent in destroying me?

I have always shared my concern with vendors putting money in the pockets of board members in order to secure contracts with what is the biggest school budget ($600 million a year) south of San Antonio. It is my belief that board members have become creative in the way they collect these monies.

I shared during our campaign how Dr. Sylvia Atkinson and her brother in law Otis Powers were sending donation request letters to vendors asking for thousands of dollars. These monies, when given in check, were reported on campaign finance reports, but I also learned that Dr. Atkinson was requesting cash money from vendors which would never make any report.

I have been very vocal about our menus at our school needing tweaking so that we could reduce waste and increase student and staff satisfaction. I was introduced to a group at the office of State Representative Eddie Lucio III that wanted to provide better food to BISD, AGM (Alimentos Gastronómicos de México).

When I learned what AGM stood for, I immediately shared that, in my opinion, there was no way a company wanting to provide food to our district from Mexico would ever happen (Barbacoagate). I learned then that they had also had conversations with Dr. Sylvia Atkinson and I wished them well. I later learned that AGM was “wining and dining” Dr. Atkinson.

When I was elected Dr. Atkinson had (and still has) control of the board. The majority voted to make Minerva Peña President because it was a way for Dr. Atkinson to have control of the board without getting dirt on her hands. Minerva Peña is easily manipulated by Dr Atkinson in part because of her hate and resentment towards me due to the public’s reaction when I attend events. Minerva thrives on the attention the position gives her. 

When I would get applause and cheers at events she would attribute it to me “walking the halls” at schools. What my community knows is that I would be well received by my community even before getting on the board. Dr. Atkinson, through Minerva, set up Committees and committee members for each. I was not surprised to see Prisci Roca Tiption as the chair of the Insurance Committee.

Board members have insurance agents and health care providers contributing tens of thousands of dollars to their campaign war chest (a quick review of Campaign Finance Reports for these three will show this). Dr. Hussain and his employee Edward Bustos have been regulars at these three events and have kept them warm to what I believe is the hope of granting them into the District to provide health care services. 

Another Doctor I learned that has been contributing monies to Dr. Atkinson is Dr. Raguthu. I learned that Dr. Raguthu had been disqualified from providing services to the district. Dr. Atkinson had control of the board but did not have control of Employee Benefits Department as it was being safeguarded by Micaela Escobar. 

I believe Dr. Atkinson and Prisci pressured then Interim Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Hatton to remove Ms Escobar which she did as retaliation for Ms Escobar filing a complaint to TEA against Dr. Tipton as chair of the insurance committee. To this date, this is an ongoing investigation and it is my belief the reason why she has eased off in getting these (and possibly other) people into the district.

Prisci is no stranger to receiving monies from vendors (campaign finance reports). She received $18,355 from Ron McVey who is known to work for E3 Entegral Solutions. E3 has received millions from the district for “changing light bulbs” at our schools. These monies, as evident in Prisci’s reports, were then distributed in the amounts of $1,666 to her family members. I recently learned that E3 was seeking to provide services to Texas Southmost College where Dr Atkinson and Prisci work.

Dr. Atkinson had suggested to our Food and Nutrition Services and administration that we have a food tasting event back in March 2019. I thought it was a great idea and was actually the only board member to attend. Dr. Atkinson utilizes these tactics to continue to string along vendors for monies. She was stringing along AGM promising them entry into the district. 

Back in December 2018 AGM people were taken by State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr to Lucio Middle School to review our cafeteria’s kitchen. AGM took pictures and video of our kitchens without proper approval. AGM were instructed to leave by Dr Atkinson because personnel at the school were “freaking out” that they were there.

Dr Atkinson, through her “people,” had records of AGM and Senator Lucio’s visit supposedly destroyed and used it to get more money from them.

Philip Cowen was concerned suffice with the vendor/money situation that he himself went to visit with the FBI, something that I had already done. It was my concern that there could be some relationship with these happenings and Barbacoagale from years back.

I have shared my concerns with bringing all this to the forefront because, like many in our community, two “suicides” of previous BISD board president and Food Director is very hard to believe. This is where my concerns with me being followed around, videotaped or having unsolicited pictures taken of me everywhere I go flourished.

Prisci visited Dr. Hatton on March 21, 2019 and gave direction for an individual to be hired as our Insurance Consultant. It was board member who gave “suggestion” for Dr Hatton to hire Kent Whittemore. This came after successfully getting Dr Hatton to remove Ms Escobar from her position at Employee Benefits Department. Kent was hired on without going through the proper hiring procurement process (I have copy of Dr Hatton’s notes and text message from Dr. Hatton to show this). They seemed set to get their people to provide service to the district in regards to health services. But Dr. Atkinson learned that I was aware of what they were doing.

AGM was taken for, what I believe, $15-$25 thousand dollars. 

Insurance agents, Dr. Hussain, Dr. Raguthu have poured monies into the pockets of Dr. Atkinson and or Prisci. But they needed their four votes. Minerva Peña is their tool. Encouraged by Dr. Atkinson and Board Attorney Baltazar Salazar Minerva filed first police report with Brownsville Police Department against me stating that I had had sex with a student in my car at a local bar and grill. 

After detectives visited BISD and the business in question and obtained video it was found to be 100% false. She was then used again to file another police report, this time with BISD Police, claiming that I was suicidal and hearing voices. This came from a social media post of one of my stalkers who is known to be obsessed/infatuated with me. My concern then became, could they be creating a narrative for another death of a BISD individual? Or could they be working to form another narrative? Or both?

Laura Perez Reyes  also visited with the FBI.


I was detained (arrested for an alleged DWI) September 2019 and they thought it was the perfect time to come at me for what I know and I have previously reported to law enforcement (I remind people that I visited the FBI February 14, 2019). They have encouraged one, emphasis on ONE, parent to come and file un-actionable grievances (three so far) against me. This parent mentioned taking pics with students, yet there were no pictures with any of her children. She let herself be used as a tool for Minerva Peña. 

The board then wrote me up then censured. Today they moved to sanction me. The Board Attorney who is paid over $300,000 a year is part of their shenanigans because I filed with the State Bar because he threatened me twice via text message and I have opposed the unnecessary, what I believe to be a “political payback”, extra year extension to his contract.

Why have I been quiet about all this till now? Because I was hoping that law enforcement would take action. I have lost hope that they will. This is in part of what I know based on what I can prove via recordings, notes and text messages. I ran on being my community’s voice which they desperately want to silence.

They continue to make accusations. I continue to fight.