Plumbing 
Erika Ayala Muñoz wants to change the culture of Uvalde’s local school board from the inside. That starts by making trustees more accessible and, frankly, “human,” she said.
“People don’t say much and they don’t communicate with the community and they hold back,” she told the Leader-News in late March. “I think it’s sad because the community is who elected you to do this job.”
Muñoz, 42, is among a pool of seven candidates vying for one of three opening seats on Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s board of trustees in the May 4 election. The at-large terms of Luis Fernandez, Rob Fowler and Cal Lambert are set to expire this year. Terms are four years, unpaid.
Muñoz, a CFO at her family’s business Uvalde Concrete, thinks Uvalde deserves a school board that listens to its constituents, is considerate of community feedback, asks questions and is transparent throughout its decision making. She said she doesn’t see that today and, if, elected, would advocate for establishing a more relatable school board and allocating more resources toward student success, teachers, and security.
Muñoz is competing with newcomers Jaclyn Gonzales, Paul “Wayne” Moss Jr., Jesse Rizo, Lambert, Fernandez, and former board member Roland Sanchez.
transparency, humanity
Today’s board, the same that has been in seat since before the May 24, 2022, can be cold when interacting with public commenters during meetings, Muñoz said. She listed off a handful of meetings during which she felt the board didn’t listen to community members with empathy.
Muñoz hopes to reintroduce warmth on the board and show people, regardless of their wealth or connections, that their input is valued.
“You have a responsibility to listen to them and ask and be considerate of (constituents) ideas, their thoughts, and their needs,” Muñoz said. “But I just think people are being ignored.”
The district should specifically listen to teacher’s needs more, Muñoz said. She added that the district has not approached supporting teachers in the aftermath of the shooting sufficiently, specifically when it comes to providing mental health days for staff and discussing mental health.
Breaking down decorum and implementing empathy will ultimately help teachers and students, she said.
“If we don’t have our teachers whole and don’t listen to their needs and help them … there’s no way they’re going to be able to teach our kids,” she said.
Safety
Muñoz said the school district needs to seriously consider installing metal detectors in school buildings, something the district has held off on thus far.
Security changes in the aftermath of the shooting, although productive, aren’t foolproof, she said, especially considering a junior high student was able to bring a gun into school earlier this semester despite all of it.
“Yes, we put up the fences, yes we look like prisons,” she said. “… But we’ve got to find the money, and I haven’t looked at the budget yet, to do metal detectors.”
She also said that board members need to ask more of administrators that are making decisions for the district so it understands the reasons behind the district’s spending.
Although Muñoz didn’t lose anyone during the shooting, she said she thinks about it every morning when she says goodbye to her son and daughter as they head off to school for the day.
Academics
Muñoz also wants to make sure the district is getting students’ comprehension on topics up to grade level. She has heard anecdotally that the district largely just pushes students along through the school system even when they’re not ready for the next grade. She wants to monitor student progress to make sure all kids are set up for success after high school.
Muñoz also wants to incentivize students to join more extracurricular activities and for the district to provide more options for students. She said she hopes this will encourage children to want to spend more time at school and give them a reason to want to perform well in the classroom.
About Muñoz
Muñoz is a 1999 Uvalde High School graduate who played tennis throughout her high school years and into college. She attended the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio and graduated in 2004 with bachelor’s degrees in management and accounting with a minor in communications. She received her CPA license in 2012.
She lives in the country off Fort Clark Road with her two children and husband, Rogelio M. Muñoz. Her children attend the Uvalde Dual Language Academy. She is also treasurer of the district’s Parent-Teacher Organization.
This is her first time seeking public office. She said she was particularly spurred to action when a current school board member, whom she didn’t name, told her it was unlikely she’d be able to make real change if she ran.
Muñoz added she’s excited to work alongside Superintendent Ashley Chohlis, who she thinks has been a proactive addition to the district.
The Uvalde Leader-News is publishing free candidate announcements provided candidates meet with and answer questions from the newspaper. As of April 5, Roland Sanchez and Luis Fernandez were the only candidates who had not responded to a request for an interview. Cal Lambert declined to answer Leader-News questions.
Sofi Zeman (szeman@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335) is a Report for America corps member who writes about education and crime for the Leader-News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep Sofi writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting tinyurl.com/995h5cka
