[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:03] All right, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Alicia Sebastian, and I am the board president. I welcome you to our special board meetings this evening. The date is Wednesday, June 24th, 2026, and the time is 533 pm, and I'll show now call this meeting to order. The first item on the agenda is a roll call, a board member's president in the declaration of a quorum. Trustee Martina Martinez. Trustee Jacob Ramos. Trustee Ed Garza.
[0:32] here trustee Stephanie Torres present trustee Arthur Balda here and we have trustee
[0:38] Mike Villarreal joining us virtually here all right there he is all right I declare
[0:44] a quorum present in the record shelf reflect that superintendent Dr. Jaime
[0:48] Aquino is also present with us all right we are going to forego ceremonials this
[0:54] evening our next item is citizens presentation well we usually have citizens
[1:01] signed up to speak we don't have anyone this evening so we're going to move
[1:04] forward with that.
[1:09] So our first item is to discuss the appropriate action to
[1:15] name the finalists being considered for the position of superintendent of
[1:19] schools. We're going to move that item go out to a closed session and come back but
[1:23] we're going to move forward with the decision to make the appropriate action to
[1:27] appoint an interim superintendent and authorize a board president to sign the
[1:31] interim superintendents contract right now do I have a motion trustee
[1:41] Ramos is going to meet the motion I'm sorry I don't number four a two
[1:47] deliberate and consult with I
[2:02] move to a point twenty Thompson to the position
[2:04] of recurrence superintendent of schools and authorize the board president to
[2:07] execute in an appointment contract all right hear a motion do I hear a second
[2:12] Second all right, we have a motion in a second all in favor. Please vote.
[2:20] Please mark me for all right
[2:21] It is official now we may have announced this last week, but we we I don't know what have I think we're too excited
[2:28] County we forgot to actually vote so as of now it is officially
[2:33] I was gonna say Dr. Tony Thompson Tony Thompson, you have officially our inter-sufferant and then congratulations
[2:41] All right, so now the time is 5.35pm today is Wednesday, June 24, 2026, and the Board of
[2:49] Trustees for the San Antonio Independence School District will now convene in close session
[2:53] as authorized by Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code.
[2:57] The Board will deliberate under sections TGC 551.071 and TGC 551.074 on the matters listed
[3:06] on the agenda for the closed session.
[3:16] Okay, so the time is now 5.58 pm.
[3:20] The date is Wednesday, June 24th, 2026.
[3:23] The Board of Trustees for the San Antonio
[3:25] Independent School District is now
[3:27] reconvening an open session, the second to every,
[3:30] while we have trustee Valdez will read
[3:35] the agenda items on which the board will take action.
[3:38] Item
[3:43] number 4A1, deliberate and consult with legal counsel on the appointment, employment, duties, qualifications of applicants candidates for the superintendent of schools, position, TGC551.074 and 551.071.
[4:03] I move to name Adrian Pusteos as the finalist for the position of superintendent of schools.
[4:11] All right we have a motion and we have a second to name Mr. Adrian Castillo's as the superintendent of schools as the final
[4:24] I'm sorry as the finalist for the superintendent of schools all and I have a second all in favor please vote please mark me for
[4:33] All right. Vote passes.
[4:42] So I've just had to share a few talking points here. I want
[4:50] to first informals thank my trustees. I think many of us feel how heavy this responsibility
[5:00] was for us, it was not easy, especially in the state of the district and current affairs,
[5:08] all of the work that we know need to be done.
[5:11] So I want to thank you all for your continuous dedication and showing up for the students
[5:17] of SAISD, all the long nights, all of the meetings.
[5:21] But after rigorous national search and extensive community engagement, just want to share that the
[5:27] Borough believes that Adrian Bustillus is the right leader for this moment in
[5:31] SAIC history. This was a comprehensive national search. Of course, a lot of it
[5:38] was kept private, but I'm very proud, you know, to serve a board that we
[5:44] understand the challenges that we have in front of us, but we had a lot of amazing
[5:49] people. A lot of qualified candidates who wanted to be a partner in this work,
[5:55] which I think is reflective of the resilience and the belief that people still have in our community.
[6:02] And we're particularly proud that we were able to meet our ambitions that lie without compromising
[6:07] the quality or the integrity of the search. Okay, all right, and so is there anything that anyone else wants to add?
[6:15] If not, all right, trustee of all days.
[6:18] I just want to say that I hope that all of them once everyone comes together, it is a very hard decision for us.
[6:26] But I hope that everyone will come together to make sure that he has a support that is needed so
[6:32] that we can look forward to make this district the best district in the entire state.
[6:37] So he's going to need all the support that he possibly can.
[6:39] So I hope that we do give him all that.
[6:41] Thank you.
[6:42] All right, I agree.
[6:43] I also do want to just particularly think the more than 24 hundred people that participated
[6:50] in the surveys, the feedback, sharing the things that they wanted to see in the district.
[6:54] We took those things into consideration, have a leave when we made our decision, and we
[6:59] weighed those things when we were going through the interview process and so community feedback
[7:03] did play a very central role in shaping the leadership profile that guided us.
[7:08] And so I am grateful for that and going on hand it off to the Vice President, Martin,
[7:14] is to share.
[7:15] Yeah.
[7:15] I particularly want to just thank our work together, John Troy's firm.
[7:20] I thought that they really were let a dynamic search where we felt like we were really leading
[7:26] the process the entire time.
[7:27] And I think that was important for us also.
[7:29] And so I want to make sure that we shut them out.
[7:32] And I just, I want the community to know that this board cares very deeply about what happens
[7:38] here in this district it's obvious right when when people are so convicted by what's right for
[7:44] students and what's right for the district that you know it takes us a little bit to get to a
[7:49] place where we find the right person and so I think what we've all said is that after this vote
[7:55] we move forward and we continue to support the the new superintendent you know and so I appreciate
[8:00] that I believe that when when people say that about our board that we vote and then we move on and
[8:05] we do the work on behalf of students.
[8:07] And so I believe that about this board, it's who we are.
[8:11] And I appreciate that about us.
[8:13] So thank you everyone.
[8:14] Thank you for smarting us.
[8:15] Trustee Ramos.
[8:17] Well, I didn't know we're all gonna speak.
[8:18] Also, I wouldn't have spoken, but I have concerns.
[8:21] He was involved in a cheating scandal in El Paso ISD
[8:24] when he was an assistant principal.
[8:25] That's a concern.
[8:27] He was sanctioned by TEA and he was suspended by TEA.
[8:32] He had a certificate pulled.
[8:34] and he does not have anybody under him in his office.
[8:39] It's just him, how's he gonna run an entire district
[8:42] when he doesn't even have people under him?
[8:45] That is a problem.
[8:46] Not only is that, he doesn't have a certificate
[8:50] for a superintendent.
[8:52] Now I will move on, but this is a problem.
[8:57] Trustee, all right.
[8:59] So, just, yes, Trustee Garza.
[9:01] Thank you, and first I want to acknowledge Dr. Aquino. I know that we did celebrate your
[9:08] last meeting, but this is your official, I guess, ceremony on me. So I do want to say thank
[9:15] you, Dr. Aquino, because we were unanimous in your selection, and you have certainly made
[9:24] a huge contribution in so many ways as we articulated, but I know it's never easy in this transition
[9:31] No matter even if you are retiring, it's still, I know it's something that you hold very near and dear to your heart to this place, these people, these especially students.
[9:41] So I do want to acknowledge your presence, but your contribution and to Tony Thompson, who will be the interim representative of the school district in this transition.
[9:52] And as my colleagues indicated, this has been a difficult search process.
[9:57] As everyone knows, no matter where you are in the country, the superintendent position is not only one in the difficult in the selection, but it's difficult to retain especially long term because of the state that our school districts, especially public school districts are in for all the reasons that have been public.
[10:20] But I do want to acknowledge the board because it's never easy to come to consensus.
[10:26] But to get to the point where we were today, we had, I think, almost 40 candidates, and
[10:32] I would say a very deep pool.
[10:35] We had three rounds of interviews, and those that made it to the third round, in my opinion,
[10:42] could lead anywhere.
[10:43] It could lead anywhere.
[10:44] and they are currently leading and currently have excellent track records.
[10:50] Are there any perfect candidates know?
[10:54] Are there any perfect school board members know?
[10:58] So we have to take into context what each candidate brought,
[11:03] but they offered, and I'm just grateful that we had such a deep pool of individuals
[11:10] that want to lead the San Antonio School District in this next chapter.
[11:16] And it was difficult, but I am confident in the leadership of Mr.
[11:24] Bustius, Dr. Bustius, his track record in Alden, his journey from El Paso,
[11:32] Texas, his cultural ties to the community that we serve.
[11:37] and I think people over the next 21 days as they meet Dr. Busfios will see what a
[11:44] majority of this board saw. So again congratulations to Dr. Busfios, thank you
[11:49] to Dr. Aquino, thank you to Tony Thompson and to all of our staff, teachers,
[11:54] faculty, and the families and students we serve. We must work together, the
[12:01] common vision to move this district forward and for student success overall.
[12:08] So thank you Madam Chair and my colleagues for your work in this process.
[12:13] Thank you Trustee Garza.
[12:15] I have Michael wants to say some hold on.
[12:18] Mike let me get Stephanie and then I'll let you go.
[12:24] This was a real difficult decision.
[12:27] We had amazing candidates.
[12:29] A lot of them actually came to the surface.
[12:32] were actually spoke with their hearts. When we say we talk, we think about
[12:37] community, we only think about which community, not the whole circle, because when
[12:45] we are community asked for some with some things, we didn't guarantee all those
[12:49] check boxes. We only checked certain ones, certain ones that valid certain
[12:54] communities, and I'm sorry, we had better candidates to pick from, but with this
[13:00] I mean, we're going to have to get behind him, we're going to have to rally up because he is one of the finalists, but you hold us to it.
[13:14] Please, community, you come out and you give us, are there feedback, you tell us where we're slipping.
[13:22] Thank you.
[13:23] Madam
[13:29] Chair, thank you for giving me this time to share a few words.
[13:33] I want to first start off by thanking you for your leadership in hurting us and leading
[13:41] this process.
[13:43] It has been a long, extensive process.
[13:47] We have spent many, many hours together coming through.
[13:51] As Trustee Garza said, over 40 candidates, we had structured interviews.
[13:57] We gave them work assignments, we had them take surveys, we of course conducted community
[14:05] surveys and a town hall meeting.
[14:08] We really collected a lot of data listening to our constituents, but also trying to probe
[14:15] the candidates who applied and also doing some due process, checking the references and
[14:25] it and investigating everything we could about each candidate.
[14:30] No candidate is perfect.
[14:32] The concerns that were raised by Trustee Ramos were taken seriously and were looked into,
[14:40] and I can share for myself and others that I have a hundred percent confidence in Adrian
[14:49] and boost those, I think he is going to bring great energy, enthusiasm, and help us raise
[14:57] all the boats in SAISD.
[15:00] So that our children receive the excellent education they deserve. I look forward to continuing to work with the board and take on the next challenge because they are coming. This is a big one, but we have the master planning process to take on next and in many more to come. So thank you board members. I look forward to continuing to work together with you on this. Thank you, Trustee Villarreal.
[15:28] Well, I just want to echo what was said here by all my colleagues.
[15:34] I appreciate transparency, and I think the community understands that we're in a difficult
[15:41] situation.
[15:41] And I think we have shown our commitment to be there.
[15:45] So thank you, Trustee Torres, for reiterating that charge and holding us accountable.
[15:51] We will be out there with Mr. Bousseau's after these 21 days making sure that you community members get to meet him firsthand, learn more about him from him.
[16:05] I did want to lift something up because I know that some things could be taken and ran with, but there are a lot of candidates who do not yet have their superintendent certification that does not make them not qualified.
[16:21] Mr. Bousseau is in the process and the doctorate program and he will be able to have his thank you trustee.
[16:29] He will, he has all the things that he needs to be successful in this new role.
[16:35] And so we look forward to the next 21 days of engagement.
[16:38] We're excited again to introduce him to the broader community with the help of our interim superintendent,
[16:46] Miss Tony Thompson she'll lead us in a smooth transition I'm very confident of
[16:52] that and so that being all this evening no other no further business to come
[16:59] before the Board of Trustees this day the meeting is adjourned the time is now 6.12
[17:05] peel.