Overview
- The board voted 5-2 Wednesday to name Adrian Bustillos the lone finalist, beginning a 21-day waiting period required by Texas law before trustees can officially hire him.
- Two trustees, Jacob Ramos and Stephanie Torres, opposed the selection and cited Bustillos’ 2017 Texas Education Agency sanction tied to an El Paso testing controversy along with concerns about his lack of a superintendent certificate and thin central-office staffing.
- Bustillos currently serves as chief transformation officer at Aldine ISD where he led a rightsizing plan that closed 11 schools and runs a district 'choice' initiative of specialized campuses.
- SAISD faces urgent challenges that framed the selection: district leaders project about one-third of 86 campuses could earn unacceptable 2026 ratings, the TEA could intervene if failing trends continue, and the district is dealing with a roughly $46 million budget shortfall tied to falling enrollment.
- Toni Thompson will serve as interim superintendent starting July 1 and outgoing Superintendent Jaime Aquino moves to Superintendent Emeritus to advise through January while the district solicits public feedback during the 21-day window and waits for mid-August STAAR-driven state ratings.