Edinburg CISD Hires McAllen ISD Staff For Finance Chief Post
Edinburg, Texas, Sept. 19, 2023 — The Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees recruited a current assistant superintendent from the McAllen school district to fill a vacant assistant superintendent post.
The board took action after exiting from executive session. McAllen ISD Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Adelita “Adel” Felix was approved by the Edinburg CISD board to fill the vacant Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations.
In other business, the board, without any discussion or questions, rejected a resolution to allow unlicensed, religious chaplains to provide counseling services to students on campus.
The item was listed as: “Discussion of resolution and take record vote as required by Senate Bill 763 on Whether to adopt a policy authorizing a campus to employ chaplains or accept chaplains as volunteers to provide support, services, and programs for students as assigned by the Board.”
While districts are not required to accept these unlicensed counselors, all public school district boards are required to vote on the matter. However, if a board were to approve the use of such unlicensed chaplains, the board can set whatever rules and requirements they want.
According to the law, unlicensed religious chaplains would be allowed to work in Texas public schools under the bill passed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Senate Bill 763 allows Texas schools to use safety funds to pay for unlicensed chaplains to work in mental health roles. Volunteer chaplains will also be allowed in schools. The law does not require any specific education, training, certification or licensing for these counselors. Other counselors, including school counselors, must have at least a master’s degree, a 700-hour practicum and pass a state exam. Other licensed counselors often have to meet even more stringent requirements.
In other business, trustees heard a student census report that showed the district population was down compared to last year. On Friday, Sept 8th, the total student census stood at 33,640. On the same school day last year, the district had 33,686 students. This resulted in a drop of 48 students.
In personnel matters, the Board voted to hire:
- 2 Systems and Web Programmer(s) – Technology Department
- 1 Counselor at Harwell Middle School
- Debra Rios as Curriculum Assistant at Ramirez Elementary
- Angelina Saenz as Curriculum Assistant at Guerra Elementary
- Brenda Goya as Assistant Principal at Avila Elementary
- Gabriel Rodriguez as Assistant Principal at Harwell Middle School, and
- Eziquiel Alaniz as District Math Specialist – Federal Programs Department.