{"id":893138,"date":"2026-06-26T02:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/893138\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T02:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:23:22","slug":"saisd-superintendent-finalist-once-suspended-by-tea-for-cheating-scandal-in-el-paso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/893138\/","title":{"rendered":"SAISD superintendent finalist once suspended by TEA for cheating scandal in El Paso"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 At least one San Antonio Independent School District board member drew concerns about its lone finalist for superintendent on Wednesday during a special board meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jacob Ramos, who sits on the SAISD Board of Trustees, was the only member who said they were concerned about voting Adrian <\/a>Bustillos<\/a> as the lone superintendent finalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have concerns,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cHe was involved in a cheating scandal at El Paso ISD.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bustillos, a former assistant principal at El Paso Independent School District, was sanctioned and served a yearlong probated suspension in 2017, according to the Texas Education Agency.<\/p>\n

In 2018, the El Paso Times reported<\/a> that the TEA said Bustillos allowed students to receive credit without grasping the curriculum during his time as an El Paso High assistant principal from 2009 to 2011.<\/p>\n

KSAT has reached out to the TEA and the El Paso Independent School District for more additional information about Bustillos.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Ramos pointed out Bustillo\u2019s missing, and required, certificate needed to become a superintendent in Texas.<\/p>\n

Adrian Bustillos’ report on TEA’s website on June 25, 2026. (Texas Education Agency)<\/p>\n

SAISD elected Bustillos as the lone superintendent finalist on Wednesday following Superintendent Jaime Aquino\u2018s<\/a> retirement announcement in March. The district interviewed at least 40 nationwide candidates for the job, according to board member Ed Garza.<\/p>\n

Garza and other board members echoed similar statements recognizing Bustillos\u2019 accomplishments during the meeting while supporting the decision to vote him as the lone finalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Board believes Dr. Adrian Bustillos is the right leader for this moment,\u201d SAISD said in a statement. \u201cDr. Bustillos understands the realities facing urban school districts and brings experience building on districts\u2019 existing strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, board member Stephanie Torres called it a \u201cdifficult decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunity, you come out and you give us all the feedback,\u201d Torres said. \u201cYou tell us where we\u2019re slipping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief of Staff Toni Thompson will serve as interim superintendent<\/a> starting July 1, until the superintendent is confirmed, according to a news release.<\/p>\n

What is a sanction?<\/p>\n

To be sanctioned also means violating disciplinary policy guidelines, according to the TEA<\/a>. Those guidelines state an educator must:<\/p>\n