PSJA ISD board approves censure resolution against Trustee Cynthia Gutierrez after heated exchange

The Pharr‑San Juan‑Alamo Independent School District Board of Trustees voted on June 25 to approve a resolution of censure against Trustee Cynthia Gutierrez following extended public comment and a lengthy discussion among trustees.

The resolution was moved and seconded and, after a roll call, the president announced “Motion carries.” The public transcript records one abstention; the record does not identify named yes or no votes.

The censure was the focus of the meeting after two members of the public spoke in the allotted comment period. Christina Young, identified as president of PSJAFT, a local teachers’ union affiliate, urged the board to remove a reference in the resolution that she said cast staff questions as “employee unrest.” “According to Robert’s Rules of Order, anyone who voted in favor of a motion that passed can make a motion to reconsider,” Young said, arguing questions about a pay decision were procedural and rooted in transparency concerns.

A longtime vendor, who identified himself as Isaac Sedna, owner of the Trophy House, told trustees that statements made in a prior public meeting about his business were inaccurate and had harmed his reputation. “The implications made were not only untrue, but damaging,” he said, and urged accountability.

Trustee Cynthia Gutierrez used her allotted time to contest each of the seven allegations listed in the resolution, saying several were vague or out of context. Gutierrez denied trying to “stir employee unrest,” saying that conversations and texts she sent sought clarification after staff discovered teachers had received less than an advertised 3% raise; she cited a legal calculation that translated the approved action into roughly 2.32% for teachers at midpoint. She also disputed allegations about vendor dealings, saying documentation she could provide showed different timelines and that some statements in the draft resolution mischaracterized her actions.

Gutierrez referenced ongoing litigation and a temporary restraining order that limited public discussion of some matters and warned the censure would chill board members’ willingness to take calls from constituents. “You can censure me, but tonight and the rest of your lives when you go home and you look at yourself … think about what you did today,” she said.

Several trustees spoke during the discussion, with some saying they had not been given full information behind all of the bullets in the draft resolution. Trustee Griselda Quintanilla and others described procedural concerns: they asked for clarity about when specific incidents cited in the resolution occurred and who drafted the document. At least one trustee said they would abstain from the vote, calling the process a “mockery” and saying they would not participate. Other trustees defended the board’s actions as a necessary governance step.

Board counsel Eric Flores moderated public comment and reminded speakers of decorum. The transcript shows repeated references to internal board policies, the Open Meetings Act and Robert’s Rules of Order during the discussion, but it does not include the full text of the resolution in the public record excerpt.

After the vote, the president declared the meeting business concluded and moved to adjourn.

Why it matters: A formal censure is an official rebuke by a governing board of one of its members. Although censure does not by itself remove an elected official from office, the action can affect governance, internal working relationships, and public trust in the district’s leadership. The transcript shows trustees and members of the public sharply divided over whether allegations were sufficiently specific and whether the censure was procedurally sound.

What the record shows and does not: The public transcript documents speakers’ arguments, statements that at least 70 grievances have been filed (as asserted by a speaker), and references to the district’s prior compensation actions that some speakers said resulted in less than a 3% raise for teachers. The record does not list a roll‑call with named yes/no votes; it records that the motion carried with one abstention and the president’s announcement, “Motion carries.”