Conroe ISD board appoints Gambino to fill trustee vacancy

Following a three-hour executive session on Tuesday, the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees reached a decision, voting 4-2 to appoint Agueda “Aggie” Gambino to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of former Trustee Tiffany Nelson.

Last month, Nelson stepped down and declared her candidacy for the State Board of Education, prompting the board to seek someone to fill the remainder of her term. A significant number expressed support for Gambino’s appointment, while a few trustees raised concerns about the management of the selection process.

Trustees Marianne Horton and Melissa Semmler opposed the appointment, expressing worries regarding transparency and consistency.

“I find myself grappling with this issue due to the absence of clarity during the entire process,” Horton stated. “The process lacked consistency and transparency.”

Semmler expressed her concerns about the candidates' evaluation process. “Unfortunately, I believe the method employed by our board does not effectively showcase qualifications as a key element in deciding which candidates progressed,” she stated. “The lack of clear qualifications in decision-making can suggest that personal relationships are swaying the results.”

Both Horton and Semmler clarified that their concerns did not specifically target Gambino. Attempts to contact Gambino for a comment were unsuccessful at this time.

Trustees Nicole May and Lindsay Dawson, who advocated for the appointment, emphasised that the process was notably more transparent than those employed by earlier boards.

Dawson reported that 20 individuals expressed interest in the vacancy; however, six did not provide the necessary documents, including resumes and references. Dawson expressed scepticism, stating, “If you can’t handle a basic application, then I don’t trust you to manage the details of a $760 million budget.”

May highlighted that Gambino’s background positioned her as an excellent candidate to represent the district.

District information shows that Gambino has been a dedicated member of the Conroe ISD community for many years and is a parent of children currently attending schools in the district. As the founder and chairperson of the Conroe ISD Special Education Parent Advisory Council, she has actively contributed to various district initiatives, including the CISD Cell Phone Committee and the CISD Community Collaborative.

Gambino is set to take the oath of office during the board's meeting on Tuesday.

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