Huerta, Aguilera represent change on school board

Newly elected San Benito CISD Board Trustee Julian Huerta is shown outside the John F. Barron Administration Building on Tuesday. (Staff photo by Francisco E. Jimenez)

By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com

June Aguilera

This weekend, San Benito saw Julian Huerta and June Aguilera defeat two longstanding board members for seats on the San Benito CISD school board.

In what has been one of the most heated elections, the two new board members are now ready to get busy as the dust slowly settles.

“My first order of business is to start getting all the schools exemplary,” said Huerta. “I know right now they’re recognized, we’re going to try to get them all exemplary.”

Huerta said that anyone who may have been worried about him entering the school board and “cleaning house” has nothing to fear. “Everybody had their idea that we’re going to come into term and we’re going to run everybody off. That’s not the point. The point is that we need to work together and make sure that the kids get a great education,” Huerta said.

Aguilera also shared Huerta’s sentiments. “I’m not here to take revenge on anybody because they have problems with my family or anybody else. I’m here for the kids. I’m here to ensure the safety and education of our children,” Aguilera said. “My first order of business is to try to do everything to make that possible. If the teachers are doing their jobs, then they have nothing to worry about. They’re safe. I’m not going to go in there and attack anybody, but I want to make sure that the teachers and staff that we do have is the best for our children.”

Regarding the issue of retire/rehire employees, Huerta said, “The retire/rehires, I don’t see that as an issue. As long as they’re doing their job, that’s fine,” Huerta said. “I have nothing against no retire/rehires. All the teachers make sure that they’re doing their job and nothing else, that’ll be great.”

“Everyone is saying that with the budget cuts we need to get rid of teachers, but I have seen that the teachers we are getting rid of are all good teachers,” Aguilera said. “A lot of people say that I am against retire/rehires, it’s not so much against it, but sometimes it is taken a little too much advantage of. I would really like to see more new teachers coming in and being able to teach.”

Aguilera and Huerta campaigned together, and one of the words they used was “change.”

“The change is the way that we see everything. You’re going to be responsible for your own actions now that we’re in there. You might be related to somebody or might know the ex-board member that helped you out of a problem. Now whatever you do, it’s up to you,” said Huerta. “You’re going to be responsible for your own actions, it’s plain and simple. Nobody’s going to get you out but yourself.”

Among the ideas that both Huerta and Aguilera share is the idea of giving background checks to all employees in the district as well as random drug tests.

“Background checks is the number one thing that I want,” Aguilera said. “As for random drug testing, nobody wants to say it, but even if they’re adults it doesn’t matter. Some of them, it may be just a weekend thing, but if they’re going to be working for the school, no matter if they’re educators of just staff, they still shouldn’t be doing that. We want to be examples for our children. We have to live by example, so we have to make sure that they’re living by example.”

“The main goal is trying to get the schools exemplary,” Huerta reiterated, adding an urgency to make schools drug free and to secure student safety.

To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the May 18 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.