By Edmond Ortiz
Two Edgewood Independent School District board members lost their re-election bid in the Nov. 3 elections, a third incumbent appears headed to a runoff election, and a fourth trustee held onto his position.
Dora Maldonado, a digital creator and a health peer specialist, upset Place 1 trustee and board President James Hernandez to claim a four-year term. She received 58.3% of the vote.
Maldonado, like many fellow challengers in this Edgewood ISD election, advocated for transparency and accountability from district leadership.
The Place 3 board post was won by Dorothy Borjas, a program coordinator whose professional background includes quality review, customer service, problem-solving, and working directly with families. Borjas tallied 53.9%, ousting incumbent Richard Santoyo.
Borjas said she ran for the school board because parents have a responsibility to be a voice for children at the board dais. Her top priorities are student achievement, raising transparency and accountability, and boosting parental and community engagement.
None of the three candidates seeking the Place 3 board seat surpassed the 50% threshold needed to avoid a Dec. 12 runoff election, which will include board Secretary Frank Espinosa and challenger Elias Hernandez.
When all the votes were counted at the end of Election Day, Hernandez held a narrow lead with 36.2%, followed by Espinosa, who had 31.9%. Jose “Joe” Gallegos finished a close third place with 31.8%.
Hernandez is a full-time parent and construction professional who has said advocating for his children has given him experience working with district administrators. He campaigned on improving student achievement, addressing substandard educational outcomes, demanding transparency, accountability, and responsible management of district funding, and strengthening parental involvement and communication while ensuring students and teachers receive necessary resources and support.
Espinosa has 20-plus years experience in fundraising and volunteerism with several local corporate community initiatives and nonprofits, including companies such as Valero Energy Corp., NuStar Energy, Edgewood Education Foundation, and Haven for Hope.
Espinosa has promoted his accounting and finance background, and has been campaigning for fiscal responsibility, and the gradual improvement in campus accountability ratings.
Place 6 trustee Michael Valdez won another four-year term with 65% over Joey Cipriano. Valdez, a San Antonio College student, was one of the first graduates of the Edgewood Fine Arts Academy.
Approximately 49.1 of Bexar County voters participated in the midterm elections.
