New BISD Board of Managers member Elias Ibarra brings Hispanic representation back to district leadership during the state takeover.
BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont ISD’s newly appointed Board of Managers is bringing Hispanic representation back to district leadership following the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of the district.
Elias Ibarra was appointed to the board last week after the state replaced the elected school board and superintendent as part of its intervention. According to BISD, Hispanic students make up the district’s second-largest demographic.
Ibarra said he is proud to represent Beaumont’s growing Hispanic community and hopes his appointment encourages more people to step into leadership roles.
“The Hispanic community, we need leaders to step up,” Ibarra said. “And again, I hope that me being on this board will be that beacon of light to others, to say, ‘I can run. I can be the voice of our community.’”
Before joining the Board of Managers, Ibarra worked as a behavior coordinator at King Middle School. He said seeing challenges within the district firsthand motivated him to take on the new role.
“As a behavior coordinator at King Middle School, I saw firsthand the need for change, not just at King, but the entire district,” Ibarra said. “So when this opportunity came up, I definitely wanted to not just be a part of the change, but truly drive that change for our community.”
Ibarra also acknowledged the significance of Hispanic representation on the board.
“Prior to, there was no Hispanic representation. Now, there is,” Ibarra said.
Community leaders and parents say the appointment is an important step for Hispanic families who have felt underrepresented in BISD for years.
“Elias is a natural leader,” community leader Jesus Abrego said. “He knows the community. He grew up here, so he again, he knows what is needed for our kids to be successful.”
For BISD parent Camila Sanjavier, Ibarra’s appointment signals progress.
“Being the first time in several years that we’ve had a Hispanic that is even involved in BISD is so important,” Sanjavier said.
According to BISD, the last Hispanic person to serve in district leadership was Lenny Caballero, who was appointed during the district’s previous state takeover in 2014. Since 2019, few Hispanic candidates have run for elected school board seats.
Sanjavier said if, in the future, Ibarra or any Hispanic placed their name on the ballot for trustee that could encourage Hispanic voter participation.
“I think that Hispanics would have someone to finally vote for because if you think about the fact that there just isn’t the representation, a lot of Hispanics are less likely to vote for other types of people, because how can they help them?” Sanjavier said.
She also said Hispanic families have lacked support despite the community’s continued growth.
“The problem is here, we haven’t had a lot of those resources available to Hispanic families, and there hasn’t been a lot of support for the Hispanic community, regardless of the fact that it is growing,” Sanjavier said.
Community leaders say representation alone is not enough and that civic engagement within the Hispanic community must also improve.
“We need to, we the Hispanics, have to do better, is again, to participate in the civic engagements that the city requires to flourish,” Abrego said.
Abrego also said he hopes Ibarra can help strengthen communication between the district and Hispanic families, particularly when it comes to discipline and language barriers.
“We have a lot of issues with discipline,” Abrego said. “So hopefully he can speak about the way the Latinos discipline their kids at home, which is different of the main culture.”
Sanjavier also hopes Ibarra can help more Hispanic families who struggle with communication barriers at campuses.
“I definitely think that every school needs to have more physical representatives that do speak Spanish, because I think that a lot of those families there is a communication issue, a language barrier,” she said.
Ibarra said he would consider running for an elected trustee position in the future, but emphasized that Hispanic community members must also become more active voters if they want greater representation on the board.
