Retired Army sergeant joins Progreso school board

PROGRESO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A retired U.S. Army sergeant joined the Progreso school board on Thursday.

During a meeting on Thursday afternoon, the school board appointed retired Staff Sgt. Joel Martinez, 42, of Progreso Lakes to Place 2.

Martinez replaced Trustee Francisco “Frank” Alanis, who resigned on Monday — seven months after Homeland Security Investigations arrested him on drug charges.

Homeland Security Investigations also arrested Frank’s brother, former Progreso Mayor Gerardo “Jerry” Alanis, who allegedly stored and packaged drugs at Dorothy Thompson Middle School.

“I don’t know what happened,” Martinez said, adding that he wants to focus on the future, not the past.

_{Joel Martinez spent more than 20 minutes speaking with the audience after the Progreso school board meeting on May 9, 2024. (Photo by Dave Hendricks / CBS 4 News.)}

Martinez served three tours in Iraq and retired from the Army in 2012.

After he retired, Martinez purchased a home in Progreso Lakes, started coaching youth soccer teams and became a volunteer firefighter.

Progreso Lakes, a tiny town south of Progreso, is part of the Progreso Independent School District. All six of Martinez’s children attended Progreso ISD schools.

Three graduated, Martinez said, and the other three are current students.

When Frank Alanis resigned, Martinez said he spoke with school board President Juan J. Ramos Jr. about the position.

“It was an opportunity that opened up,” Martinez said. “And I was like: You know what, I’ve been working with the kids for so long, why not take this opportunity?”

Progreso ISD didn’t solicit applications for the position, Ramos said, because the board wanted to appoint someone as soon as possible.

Frank Alanis submitted his resignation at 1:45 p.m. Monday, according to information released by Progreso ISD. Less than two hours later, the district posted a school board meeting agenda for Thursday that included “Discussion and action to appoint Board Member to fill the vacancy of School Board Member Place 2.”

On Thursday afternoon, the school board spent about 20 minutes in executive session, which isn’t open to the public, discussing the position and other matters, including the superintendent’s contract.

When they returned to open session, the school board voted 5-0 to appoint Martinez.

“He does our youth soccer team. He volunteers as coach. Takes our kids to the McAllen camps,” Ramos said. “He’s very involved in the district.”

After the meeting adjourned, Martinez stuck around for more than 20 minutes to speak with the audience.

“I want to work for the future. And I want to work with everybody,” Martinez said. “I don’t care about politics. I don’t care about none of that.”

Many people in the audience had tough questions for Martinez.

They wanted to know if Martinez would be accessible. They wanted to know if Martinez would put Progreso ISD — not himself or the board — first. And they wanted to know if Martinez would crack down on favoritism and corruption.

Martinez said he’s a man of integrity and would act in the best interests of Progreso ISD.

“My priority is students,” Martinez said.

“Not the benefit? Not the compadriso? Nothing?” said Yadira Flores, 39, of Progreso, who won a seat on the school board Saturday and is waiting to be sworn in.

Martinez said he didn’t know anything about that.

“How could you not know?” said San Juanita Reyna, 64, Progreso, who served on the Board of Aldermen in the 1990s. “We live in the Valley.”