Los Fresnos school board cited for excellence

The Los Fresnos school district’s Board of Trustees is in the running to win recognition by the Texas Association of School Ad-ministrators as one of the most outstanding in the state.

The board won the top spot for the region this week when the Region One Education Service Center selected it as the Regional School Board of the Year. Now Region One will submit its nomination to the state program, which recognizes Texas school boards that have demonstrated excellence in dedication to the schoolchildren.

“I am very excited to have our board represent the region,” said Gonzalo Salazar, superintendent of the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District. “I feel blessed to be working alongside a group of professionals who maintain high ethical standards and hold high expectations for all students in our district.”

A committee of Region One school superintendents reviewed the nominations and evaluated the boards on their adherence to adopted board policies, role as a policy-making body, commitment to a code of ethics, community awareness and other criteria.

Members of the 2009-2010 Los Fresnos CISD board are Rey Farias, president; Sandra Garcia, vice president; Darlene Pederson, secretary; Ruben Treviño, assistant secretary; and Jesus Amaya, Leonel Garza and Martin Castillo, members.

Recognition is not new to LFCISD school boards, which won their first regional award from Region One during the 1998-1999 academic year. That year the school board went all the way to the top, selected as the Outstanding School Board of the Year by the Texas Association of Administrators.

The board members “don’t see themselves as elected politicians, they see themselves as trustees,” Salazar said. “They are en-trusted in this role by the community and so they are here to look out for what is best for children and what is best for the district.”