Advocate for education: Lorezno Hernandez

Standing in front of a crowd of teachers, parents and education professionals from across the Rio Grande Valley last spring, Lorezno Hernandez did his best to stay calm and represent his professional organization well.
As a result of impending budget cuts to the public schools in Texas, Rio Grande Valley superintendents, politicians and members of the Texas State Teachers Association came together at Donna Redskin Stadium to voice their concerns, Hernandez said.
“I was one of the speakers at a pro-education rally in Donna last spring,” said Hernandez, the head custodian at Dishman Elementary School and the public relations officer for the Harlingen branch of the TSTA. “It was crazy, getting in front of about 150 people to speak. And I had to follow Eddie Lucio Jr.’s speech.”
The atmosphere in Donna last April was tense, as teachers and parents voiced their concerns regarding the impact budget cuts would have on students, Hernandez said.
“I spoke about how the budget cuts were going to affect kids if there were a loss of jobs,” Hernandez said. “More kids crammed into classrooms as a result of cuts would have had an affect. If there were custodians lost, then the kids are at risk because most illnesses are spread through bacteria.”
A custodian at Dishman for the past five years, Hernandez has served TSTA in various roles in the past three years. Last fall, he was recognized for his commitment to serving public schools, winning first prize at the local and regional level for educational support staff excellence, he said.
“I like working with the staff here at Dishman,” Hernandez said. “Coming to work every day is just filled with smiles. The students are smiling, and the staff is just so happy because of all the support we get.”