Harlingen school district looks inside as it searches for new super

HARLINGEN — Amid “challenging times,” the school board is launching an internal search for the district’s new superintendent.

While officials work to cut millions in expenses to rebuild their cash reserves, board members are turning within the district’s central office to select its top administrator.

As trustees launch their search, board President Greg Powers said management has developed the experience to lead the district to financial recovery.

“This year has been a year of reflection in our organization,” Powers said during a Jan. 14 meeting, five months after board members found out former Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez’s administration used $23.2 million in the budget’s fund balance to cover operational costs including unbudgeted expenses.

“We have navigated through challenging times this year, thus creating a point of inflection for our organization,” Powers said after a closed session meeting. “As we discuss the topic of a new superintendent search, we have determined that we have internal leadership capacity inside this district.”

Board members believe top management is better qualified to develop a plan aimed at returning the district’s strong financial standing, he said.

“We have internal leaders who are familiar with the current needs of this district and our school community, which are very important,” Powers said. “Therefore, we have made a decision to move forward with conducting an internal search for our new superintendent of schools. As we look to the future, we will continue leading our district with a relentless commitment to excellence and a heart for people that will catapult this district to reach greater heights.”

After taking over as interim superintendent three times since 2020, interim Superintendent Veronica Kortan is apparently high on the board’s list of candidates for the top job.

After Gonzalez suddenly resigned in early September, trustees appointed Kortan, the district’s deputy superintendent, to take over as interim superintendent.

Since then, she’s teamed with top officials to develop the district’s new fiscal plan while cutting at least $7.2 million in expenditures, working to rebuild the fund balance.

As officials roll out their fiscal plan, board members have praised Kortan’s work in building the fund balance from a low of about $17.2 million to $20.7 million in unassigned reserves as of Dec. 31.

In the last five years, board members have turned to Kortan to lead the district following three superintendent’s resignations.

In 2020, after former Superintendent Arturo Cavazos resigned following eight years on the job, she took over as interim superintendent, working in the position until board members picked Alicia Noyola, the district’s former chief academic officer, to serve as superintendent.

Then in May 2023, Kortan returned as interim superintendent after Noyola announced her retirement, working through the board’s passage of a new budget before Gonzalez took office in September 2023.

Since Gonzalez’s resignation last September, Kortan’s served as interim superintendent, taking on her biggest job, tasked with developing and carrying out the district’s new fiscal plan.

A Harlingen native who build her career within the district, Kortan’s worked her way up from a teacher’s job to a principal’s position before taking the role of assistant superintendent for leadership and innovation.

In 2007, Kortan founded the district’s Early College High School.

In 2023, she developed the new strategic plan.

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