23 Oct UISD Trustee Left Board Workshop Early for Laredo ISD Candidate Forum

United ISD (UISD) trustee Michelle Molina left a board workshop early on Oct. 14 to speak at a candidate forum for Laredo ISD (LISD), drawing a pointed social media post from a fellow trustee, according to the Laredo Morning Times.

Molina, who is running for reelection, was the only trustee to walk out of the UISD workshop, video of the meeting shows. She then appeared for a short time in a live stream of the LISD candidate forum, which MOVE Texas, STX Frontera, CMPSCHL Creative and Carnalismo Brown Berets put on that same day. Molina said she went to lay out her platform and praised the organizers for hosting a nonpartisan event. She said she couldn’t attend the UISD candidates’ forum the next day, Thursday, because of a prior commitment involving a child’s birthday and other meetings.

The workshop dealt with a shortage of school staff, with 16 special education aide jobs open, and proposed incentives to recruit and keep teacher aides. Molina said she walked out once the vacancies item was done. She said she brought up that item herself, that it had been in discussion for six months and that it was about finding money to fill the positions without touching the budget. No major votes happen at workshops, she added.

Trustee Dianelle Martinez, who represents District 7 and was at the workshop, then took to social media. Without naming anyone, she wrote that an official who leaves a government meeting for a candidate forum invites questions about priorities, especially while tax dollars are in play. She suggested missed meetings and early exits could help explain the community’s problems and said public service means showing up.

When commenters asked who she meant, Martinez said the post wasn’t about any one person and urged people to ask why officials leave early instead of who does. She said the standard covers all elected officials, herself included. Pressed again, she denied it was about Molina, saying she would have named the person if it were, and added that anyone who drew their own conclusions was responsible for them.

Molina, a UISD trustee since 2022, pointed to her community outreach, work supporting special-needs students and her consulting background in business development, which she said gave her a grasp of the district’s budget.