Two public commenters press Weslaco ISD on principal support and transparency of public records

During the public‑comment portion of the meeting, Gloria Lial (introducing herself as a 1997 Weslaco High School graduate and a district chief operating officer in a personal capacity) spoke on behalf of her sister, who had been placed on administrative leave seven months into her first assignment as a principal at an F‑rated campus. Lial said the action ‘‘appears unjust’’ and urged the district to invest in coaching, training and corrective action plans rather than quickly moving to administrative leave. "After dedicating 30 years of service to Weslaco ISD, being placed on administrative leave just 7 months into her 1st assignment as principal at an f rated campus appears unjust," she said.

Julie Valdez urged the board to restore five‑minute public comment periods (the district recently reduced the time to three minutes), improve the public sign‑in process and deliver public‑information requests more promptly; Valdez said delayed PIR responses and shortened comment times create the perception that transparency and two‑way communication are eroding. "I've noticed is that slowly, there's been, like, taking away of that transparency and the communication with, when I say the public," she said.

Why it matters: The comments spotlight personnel decisions and public‑engagement procedures that affect trust between the community and district leaders. Trustees acknowledged the concerns and the legal limits on board deliberation during public comment but did not take immediate action at the meeting.