McAllen ISD Board Reviews Bond Project Manager Framework, Oversight Committee Charter at June 2 Meeting
McAllen ISD, Bond 2026, Project Management, Bond Oversight Committee, Librarians, Pre-K, McAllen TX
Arnoldo Mata
McAllen TX - The McAllen Independent School District Board of Trustees held a special meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2026, covering bond implementation planning, public comments on librarian pay equity and a coaching hire, pre-kindergarten outcomes, a veterinary technician apprenticeship program, and several personnel actions.
Bond 2026 Project Manager Framework
Executive Director of Facilities Ruben Trevino presented the board with an updated project management framework for the district’s voter-approved $335 million bond program, built around what administration is calling Model A, a hybrid approach dividing bond projects between an external project management firm and district staff.
Under Model A, an external project management firm would oversee approximately $231.8 million in new construction projects, including CTE buildings, multipurpose facilities, front entrance reconfigurations, campus refreshes, and classroom and cafeteria expansions. District staff, supported by a newly hired in-house bond project manager, would oversee approximately $103.9 million in renovation and infrastructure work including HVAC upgrades, paving improvements, roofing, LED lighting, and safety access controls.
Trevino walked the board through project groupings requiring professional services, noting that campuses with multiple overlapping projects, such as Morris Middle School, which will see classroom expansion, cafeteria modernization, a new roof, and HVAC upgrades, would benefit from a single design team. “It makes more sense to have one design team working on those particular projects because they all kind of mesh together,” Trevino said.
Trustees engaged in extended discussion about capacity, oversight, and expectations. One trustee asked Trevino directly how much of his time managing the in-house project manager would consume.
“If you’re managing the role, how many hours a week do you think it’ll take you to manage that position effectively?” the trustee asked.
Trevino acknowledged the commitment. “The bond project management is full-time just doing that 100%,” he said of a dedicated project manager. “And the oversight from admin can range from, I’m going to say maybe 50% of the time because you’re attending meetings, you’re looking at different designs, you’re looking at options, you’re looking at pricing, overseeing everything.”
The trustee pressed further, noting Trevino already has a full-time role. “I’m just trying to forecast what happens when 50% of your time is now on bond projects that was previously dedicated to other critical needs across the district.”
Trevino was direct in his response. “In our jobs, we do what it takes, and sometimes it’s not just 40 hours. Sometimes it’s working past that. Contractors work on weekends. They’re on a schedule and then they have to meet the schedule. So sometimes it requires more than your ordinary schedule, but we’ve done it.”
When asked whether any of the district-managed projects fall outside his experience, Trevino said no. “We’ve done pretty much all of those previously — safety access controls, LED lighting upgrades, roofing projects, paving, HVAC upgrades.”
Another trustee raised concerns about being locked into a single external project manager for the entire multi-year construction buildout. “What if we have a really bad experience and then we’re stuck with someone and it’s only one for everything and the disruption that we may have if we have to in the middle of all of these projects find somebody else?” the trustee said, suggesting the board consider phasing the contract by tranche. “This is not a one-year buildout and I just I’m concerned that it’s so many projects for one person.”
A separate trustee offered a series of recommendations for what the RFQ should include when the district goes out for an external project manager, including performance benchmarks, frequency of engagement with administration, public reporting expectations, and whether project update meetings should be considered billable hours or part of the base contract. “I would love to see something somewhere that says the expectation is 90% on time and 90% on budget,” the trustee said. The trustee also recommended the project manager have a direct reporting line to Superintendent Dr. René Gutiérrez. “Given the size of the bond and the importance to the community, I think it’s paramount whether it’s in-house or the outside consultant to have a direct line of reporting to you as well,” the trustee said.
Gutiérrez agreed. “Yes, sir,” he responded.
One trustee also suggested holding dedicated special called board meetings for bond updates rather than folding them into regular meetings. “I also see that as we are briefing the board on this project that maybe sometimes we should just have special called board meetings just for that and not mix them with regular board meetings,” the trustee said. “There’s always going to be questions and a lot of detail on projects and cost and statuses of projects.”
Timeline for External Project Manager
A suggested timeline for the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process was presented:
July 10: First advertisement
July 17: Second advertisement
July 24: Solicitation closing date
Aug. 11: Tentative board interviews of top firms
Aug. 25: Board approval of selected firm
Bond Oversight Committee Charter
Deputy Superintendent for Business and Operations Lorena Garcia presented a draft charter for the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee. Key elements of the draft include reporting solely to the board of trustees, quarterly reporting to the board and the public, site visits, accountability duties, conflict of interest provisions, and two-year staggered terms for members.
Trustees offered several additions and revisions during discussion:
One trustee asked that the conflict of interest section be amended to prohibit immediate family members of committee members from bidding on any bond projects. “I’d love for number three to be edited in such a way that no immediate family member of a member of the oversight committee can bid on any bond projects,” the trustee said.
Another trustee raised the question of how to define “vendor” in the eligibility criteria, distinguishing between companies that do bond-related work versus those that simply sell general supplies to the district. “If somebody sells t-shirts to the district and they have relevant experience, why should they be prohibited?” the trustee said. A suggested threshold of 10% of income from district contracts was proposed as the conflict standard.
A trustee also proposed adding a 15th committee member to be nominated by the Joint Professional Consultation Committee, giving teachers a voice on the oversight body. “I’ve gotten some feedback that teachers are left out or do not have the ability to provide feedback,” the trustee said. Gutiérrez indicated administration was open to the idea, saying Dr. Canales could facilitate a nomination through the JPCC process.
Garcia asked board members to submit written feedback on the charter by the end of the week so a final draft can be brought to the June 23 regular board meeting.
Public Comments on Librarians and Coaching Hire
Three speakers addressed the board during public comments, with two making detailed arguments for restoring librarians to the teacher pay classification and a third raising concerns about the hiring process for a head basketball coach.
Celeste Lopez, librarian at DeLeon Elementary and a two-time district award winner, including being named District Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2022 and District Elementary Technology Teacher of the Year in 2024, both while serving as a librarian, opened the comments with a direct appeal to the board.
“I share these awards not to boast but to show the instructional responsibility that I carry every single day as well as my librarian colleagues,” Lopez said. “That responsibility aligns directly with the TRA definition of a classroom teacher, which is why exclusion from TRA allotments creates a disheartening inequity.”
Lopez described her typical day as including five to six back-to-back 45-minute classes, teacher collaboration, technology integration projects, campus operations, afterschool clubs, and 10 additional contract days beyond the teacher calendar. “We are the librarians of yes,” she said. “We are what I’d like to call 21st century techarians, and our compensation should reflect the instructional and campus-wide impact that we provide. I respectfully ask the board to reconsider our TRA classification.”
Cindy Tijerina, librarian at McAllen High School with 13 of her 21 years in McAllen ISD spent as a librarian, highlighted the pay disparity created when librarians were excluded from last year’s $5,000 teacher salary increase. “As a result of last year’s raise structure, some employees in similar capacities are now earning more than we are as librarians,” Tijerina said. “This has created a pay disparity that many believe should be addressed.”
She noted the exclusion stung in part because of what peers in other districts experienced. “Surrounding districts did include their librarians in that $5,000 raise,” Theharina said. “We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re simply asking for equitable compensation that recognizes our qualifications, our responsibilities, our contributions to our students every day in our schools.”
Natasha Gonzalez, a parent with family ties to McAllen Memorial’s basketball program, asked the board to delay hiring the current candidate for head boys basketball coach and open the search more broadly. She said the candidate being considered had a 39% win rate, 41 wins out of 119 games since 2022, and had recently been reassigned away from coaching. “If wins don’t matter, shouldn’t the intangibles have helped him to remain a coach? If so, why would we reward poor performance by giving him an awesome job at McAllen Memorial?” Gonzalez asked. She also questioned the posting process, asking whether the position was advertised statewide and how many candidates were considered. “McAllen ISD is supposed to be the flagship of the RGV and we should select the best candidate. Our boys deserve a quality coach, not someone who’s convenient.”
Other Action Items
The board recognized 20 UTRGV teacher residents who completed residency placements at Alvarez, Hendricks, Pettis, and Thigpen-Zavala elementary schools during 2025-2026. Of the 20, 12 earned full teacher certification, three will pursue master’s degrees, and eight are completing certification requirements this summer.
The board approved a donation of new JV and varsity softball lockers from the Nikki Rowe High School softball booster club, 7-0.
The board received a pre-K instructional report showing district-wide early literacy improvement from 60% to 81% and early math improvement from 75% to 90%, both surpassing district target goals. A pre-K camp is scheduled for Aug. 13, 2026.
The board approved an interlocal agreement with South Texas College for a veterinary technician apprenticeship program, 7-0, for August 2026 through May 2027. The program piloted this year with 12 students focusing on large animals and will expand to include small animals as bond-funded facility upgrades are completed.
The board approved on second reading an amendment to policy DEC local expanding payment for accumulated leave upon retirement to employees retiring under any retirement system, not only TRS, 6-0.
The board reviewed a first reading of proposed amendments to the employee grievance policy DGBA local, covering a mutual five-day document submission deadline before Level III hearings and hearing recording requirements. Trustees directed legal counsel to rewrite the document submission language to apply equally to both the district and the grievant before a second reading at the June 23 meeting.
The board received the district’s intent to apply by June 9 for a U.S. Department of Education Innovative Approaches to Literacy grant, seeking approximately $3.5 million over five years. If awarded, funds would be used for a mobile literacy bus, an author mentor program, learning labs, updated library materials, and librarian professional development.
The board approved a low attendance waiver application to TEA covering Jan. 26 and 27, 2026, weather-related absences, 7-0.
The board approved the Optional Flexible School Day Program application for 2026-2027, 7-0. During 2025-2026, the program served up to 366 students and helped 1,030 of 1,461 at-risk students recover attendance minutes to move above the 90% threshold.
The board approved the sale of used technology equipment under RFP 2026-1036, 7-0.
Following closed session, the board approved human resources recommendations for both 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, each 6-0, and approved the appointment of Domingo Ramos as Executive Director of Technology, 6-0.
Upcoming Meetings
School Safety and Security Committee Meeting: June 9, 2026, noon, Dr. Ricardo Chapa Boardroom
Budget Workshop No. 6: June 17, 2026, 5:30 p.m., Dr. Ricardo Chapa Boardroom
Regular Board Meeting: June 23, 2026, 5:30 p.m., Dr. Ricardo Chapa Boardroom