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Brownsville ISD board votes 5-2 to non‑renew contract of Vanessa Chavez
Summary
After an executive session, the Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees voted 5-2 on April 28, 2026, to recommend non‑renewal of teacher/employee Vanessa Chavez’s contract. Two trustees said the investigation leading to the recommendation had procedural flaws and favored renewal pending review.
The Brownsville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 5-2 on April 28, 2026, to recommend non‑renewal of the contract of Vanessa Chavez after reconvening from a closed executive session.
Board President Daniella Lopez Valdez moved to non‑renew Chavez’s contract; Jessica Gonzalez seconded. After the vote, Board Attorney Shellie Smith told the board that the decision is final and not subject to rehearing.
Trustee Carlos Elizondo proposed an alternative motion to grant Chavez a contract “pending a true investigation of the school district in the process of the contract,” arguing the prior investigation was flawed; Minerva Pena seconded that motion. That motion failed 2-5 (Elizondo, Pena in favor). Elizondo said afterward that his “no” vote on the non‑renewal reflected concerns about the investigation process. Pena likewise said she could not support non‑renewal because of inconsistencies she identified in the process and called for a new investigation before any final personnel action.
Minutes show the board recorded the carried motion to non‑renew with five trustees voting in favor (Lopez Valdez, Garza, Ortiz, Gonzalez, Grantland) and two opposed (Elizondo, Pena). The minutes do not include details of the executive‑session discussion; the public record cites the Board’s use of Texas Government Code sections 551.071, 551.072, 551.074, 551.082 and 551.084 for the closed meeting. The transcript and minutes do not specify the factual basis for the non‑renewal beyond the board’s formal recommendation.
The Board’s action on the non‑renewal followed an initial announcement earlier in the meeting that local counsel had received a tentative settlement offer related to a separate matter and that a different hearing (No. 002/25-26, O.A.) would not go forward by mutual agreement; that separate hearing was later the subject of a unanimous motion to take no action. The Board adjourned at 10:22 p.m.
The minutes list Shellie Smith as Board Attorney (hearing officer) and identify trustees present and voting. The minutes do not record any timeline for when a non‑renewal would take effect or any specified appeal process in open session.
