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BISD trustees disclose top three applicants but fail to appoint; vote to call May special election also fails
Summary
At a March 14 special meeting the Brownsville ISD board disclosed the top three applicants for the vacant Position 7, debated executive-session confidentiality and election timing, but did not appoint a member and declined to call a May 3 special election.
The Brownsville Independent School District Board of Trustees on March 14 received 25 applications for the vacant Position 7, disclosed the top three candidates and debated whether to appoint a replacement or call a special election to fill the seat.
Legal counsel told the board that personnel-review materials and some advice may be subject to attorney–client privilege but that the board could vote to waive that privilege. The board voted to waive the privilege for public disclosure of the top three ranked applicants; the district announced those names as Agustin J. Anduiza, Blanca E. Perez, and Eugenio Longoria Sanz.
Board members discussed whether to move into executive session to receive legal advice and to deliberate nominations. Multiple motions to move the item into executive session failed. Several trustees said they preferred a public election rather than an appointment. Trustee John Shurgold (public commenter) and others urged leaving the choice to voters.
A motion to nominate Agustin Anduiza for appointment received no second and therefore did not advance.
Separately, the board considered calling a special election for May 3, 2025, and naming the superintendent as the election officer under state election law. Legal counsel and election officials advised the board that state law requires vacancies to be filled within 180 days and that special elections to fill vacancies generally must be held on an authorized uniform election date; the May uniform election date falls inside the 180-day window while the November cycle does not. The board discussed the compressed timeline needed to place a special election on the May calendar.
The motion to approve items 7.A.2 and 7.A.3 (authorizing the superintendent to perform election duties and calling a May 3 special election) failed on the vote. With no appointment made and no election called, board members said another meeting would be required to resolve the vacancy before the statutory deadline.
No final appointment was made during the March 14 meeting. Legal counsel repeatedly advised the board that the appointment, if made, would be temporary only until the next uniform election date; an appointee would have to run in the next relevant election to complete the unexpired term.
Votes at a glance (formal items and recorded outcomes from the meeting): - Approval of the special-called meeting agenda: motion passed, 6–0. - Motion to suspend rules to allow public comment outside agenda items: motion passed, 6–0. - Motion to waive privilege and disclose top three applicants: motion passed (vote recorded as "Motion passes" in transcript; numerical tally not specified). - Motions to go into executive session to receive legal advice on the appointment: failed (transcript: "Motion fails"). - Nomination motion to appoint Agustin Anduiza: no second; nomination failed. - Motion to approve items 7.A.2 and 7.A.3 (call May 3 election and appoint superintendent as election official): failed (transcript: "Motion fails").
Board members and legal counsel emphasized the statutory requirement to fill the vacancy within 180 days or by appointment, and they referenced board policy and state election code in discussing options. Trustees left the item open for further action at a subsequent meeting.
