Seven to be interviewed for SAISD seat

L-R: Dr. Michael Soto, Delia Guajardo, former SAISD Board member Mary Ester Bernal

(Express-News clip)

Trustees for the San Antonio Independent School District will interview eight candidates for the vacant District 7 seat Wednesday, July 17th at a board meeting at Jefferson High School. The new trustee will serve out the term of Justin Rodriguez, who left to run for City Council. The unexpired term runs through May 2008. Rodriguez won his bid for a City Council seat in May.

The seven candidates are:

• Mary Esther Bernal, a former trustee who also worked for SAISD as teacher, program specialist, administrator, and department director for 32 years;
• Eliseo E. Cadena, a former teacher and principal;
• Delia A. Guajardo, a former secretary, aide and special event coordinator for SAISD;
• Ruth Joyce Mendoza, a retired teacher and counselor who served 38 years in SAISD;
• Gabe Ortiz, a producer/reporter for Clear Channel Broadcasting;
• Gloria G. Rodriguez, a former teacher who is the founder and president of AVANCE, Inc., a non-profit educational program for low-income parents and children;
• Michael Soto, an associate professor at Trinity University