Dr. Esmeralda Perez-Gonzalez – Trustee, Single-Member District 2
What is your motivation to become a school board member? As a retired educator, I have contributed to the great strides Hays CISD has made during my time on the board. The priorities of academics, competitive salaries, safety, employee-friendly policies, mental health, and staff recognition stand out for me. I am running to ensure that these priorities remain the focus of our district and our board. We cannot afford to lose momentum given the challenges we are facing from our state and national lawmakers. I am the product of a stellar public education and advocating for PubEd is at the heart of my motivation to stay on this board. What qualities will enable you to be an effective school board member? I have lived in Kyle for 15 years, worked at Hays CISD for 4 years and served as an educator for 38 years. This experience provides me a unique perspective into school board business. Whether I’m evaluating a new curriculum tool or reviewing a human resources policy, I am proficient at understanding the direct impact on students and employees. As a bilingual educator, I also appreciate the challenges our Spanish-speaking parents and students face. If re-elected, I will continue to build relationships with our community and educate families on how they can make impactful changes in our district. What will you do to fight the epidemic of fentanyl in HCISD? The sound of fentanyl shatters my heart every time it is mentioned. This epidemic has impacted Hays CISD in a way that no one ever imagined. While serving on this board, Hays CISD has initiated the Fighting Fentanyl campaign by partnering with law enforcement, providing training for staff, and creating resources (including a series of videos) to assist parents and students recognize the heartache one pill can cause. I will continue to advocate, communicate, and educate our communities on the harm of fentanyl and the resources they can access in order to help a family member stay safe What is your plan for reducing the threat of gun violence in our schools? Thankfully, Hays CISD has not experienced gun violence on a campus. I am extremely proud of the safety and security measures Hays CISD has taken to keep campuses a safe place to learn and work. I was strongly supportive of elevating our current Chief of Safety & Security to that position. Few districts have this position at this level and a staff to support safety and security efforts. We are stronger together and our partnerships with law enforcement agencies in our community have proven to be critical in thwarting any potential threats of violence. Please explain your stance on book bans happening in public schools across Texas. I am not in favor of book banning. Describe how you will make sure diverse voices from the LGBTQIA+, economically disadvantaged, and culturally diverse communities will be heard and supported in the district? I believe in inclusiveness and that everyone deserves to be heard. Hays CISD created its Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) in 2020 which provides for a diversity of voices to be represented. DAC is tasked with making recommendations to district leadership, and they have been helpful in identifying gaps in our hiring and addressing student achievement deficiencies. As a Trustee, I will continue to support the work DAC is doing. As a former bilingual educator at a Title I campus, I have a proven record of reaching out to culturally diverse communities and ensuring their concerns are heard and addressed. As a school board member, how will you counteract the efforts to sow fear and division surrounding the teaching of history and social/emotional learning in our schools? During my career, I have advocated for students and teachers. However, positions on school boards are non-partisan, and we need to rise above the political rhetoric. That said, teaching communication skills, emotional coping strategies, digital citizenship and integrity should be widely supported. As a Trustee, we set goals focused on student achievement, safety & security (to include mental health) and community engagement. SEL is being implemented throughout our 26 campuses. I am always thrilled to see how SEL plays an integral part during instruction. Witnessing both our students and staff reap the benefits of SEL brings joy to my heart.. If elected, how will you work to address the disproportionately high concentration of economically disadvantaged and minority students in some areas that the district serves? My entire career as a public-school educator was spent on Title I campuses. So, I am very familiar with our campus and students’ demographics and needs across the district. During my attendance at numerous campus showcases, our campus administrators shared their needs with district leaders. I am in a position to be a voice for campuses and ensure needs are met. Hays CISD believes in ensuring that all campuses are treated fairly and equitably. As a trustee, I would continue to advocate for all campuses needing services or resources. Are there other issues or ideas you have to improve the future of Hays CISD and help our students? This year, our district grew by nearly 600 students and our demographer predicts the students will keep coming. We have a bond package during this election cycle that contains critical projects to address our continued growth. We are seeing participation rates for athletics and Fine Arts programs above pre-COVID levels. Our Career & Technology (CTE) classes have also gained immense popularity (think cosmetology, barbering, auto tech, vet tech, fire academy), and I don’t want us to turn students away from CTE classes and athletic or Fine Arts programs that motivate them to attend school due to lack of facilities. 
Name
Dr. Esmeralda Pérez-González, NBCT
How can voters contact you?
Educational background
Doctor of Education with a specialization in Teacher Leadership, Walden University (2011) Master of Science in Educational Administration, Corpus Christi State University (1993) (Present day Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with specialization in Bilingual /ESL, Corpus Christi State University (August 1987) Associate in Arts, Del Mar College (May 1987) National Board-Certified Teacher (2006 and Renewed in 2016) from National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
What is your experience participating with the Hays school district or at a particular campus?
Hays CISD School District (2021-present) Appointed to the Hays CISD School Board in December 2021 Elected to an unexpired term on the Hays CISD School Board (unopposed) in May 2022 Camino Real Elementary (Founding Faculty Member) in 2008 First Teacher of the Year in 2008-2009 Grade 5 Bilingual Teacher and Instructional Strategist (2008-2012) Served as Grade Level Team Leader Served as Math Vertical Team Leader Served on the District Leadership Team Served on the Campus Leadership Team Served as Induction/Mentor Campus Coordinator for First- and Second-Year Teacher Mentoring Program Served as Mentor, Trainer of Trainers for the district and campus Conducted staff development for both campus and district staff on Creating and Using Anchor Charts, Kagan Structures, Developing lesson plans, and Classroom Management Strategies and the Development of Centers for all teachers) Served as the Campus Contact Person for Summer School/Student Success Initiative for TAKS in Math and Reading Participated in the Math and Science Leadership Network (Region 13) Participated in the Instructional Coaching Network (Region 13) Participated in the Math and Science CSCOPE Network (Region 13) Served on the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee Served as one of the Teacher Advancement Program Mentor Teachers Served as a Mentor to Texas State University Interns Served as a Cooperating Teacher to Texas State University Fellows Volunteered to be on the Positive Behavior Support Committee Volunteered Spanish tutoring for our struggling students in Reading. Volunteered tutoring for our SSI Bilingual students in Math and Reading Co-Sponsored Student Council Coordinated Campus Science Fair and Hispanic Heritage Month
Hays CISD board voting districts and background info
The election will take place in Hays CISD. Specific polling locations and times depend on the county in which the voter resides. These dates and times are listed in the election order and notice (below), and linked from this webpage and the Hays CISD election district map.
Hays County Early Voting & Election Day Locations
Caldwell County Early Voting and election Day Locations
Travis County Early Voting Locations
Travis County Election Day Locations
Hays and Travis Counties use vote centers, meaning Hays and Travis County voters may cast ballots for any election in which they are eligible at any vote center in the respective counties during the times the vote centers are operating. Caldwell County will have a specific polling location for early and election day voting.
Hays County Voting Dates and Times
These are Hays County’s May 2022 Election Day Voting locations. Registered Hays County voters can vote at any of these locations.
Early Voting: April 24 – May 2, 2022
Monday, April 24- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday April 25 through Friday April 28 – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Monday, May 1 – 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 2 – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Election Day: Saturday, May 6 – 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS 2023
Click on the image below to see an interactive map of the Early Voting locations in Hays County. Registered voters can vote at any location.
ELECTION DAY LOCATIONS 2023
Click on the image below to see an interactive map of the Election Day voting locations in Hays County. Hays County registered voters can vote at any vote location on Election Day.
May 2022 Bond Election Information
For more information, visit the district’s bond election webpage.