Del Rio trustee candidate touts policing background, school safety priorities

Jesus Emilio Galindo, a Del Rio police sergeant and four-year San Felipe Del Rio CISD trustee, framed his reelection bid around one question: how much should a law-enforcement background shape school-board decisions on safety, staffing and student success?

Galindo is running for Place I on the SFDR-CISD Board of Trustees in the May 2 election, where he faces Priscilla Aguilar for the seat. The district’s board has seven members elected at-large to four-year terms, and candidate filing ran from Jan. 14 through Feb. 13.

In his candidate profile, Galindo pointed to 13 years with the Del Rio Police Department and four years on the school board as the foundation of his approach. He said the work has kept him visible and available to constituents, and he cast his board service as an extension of the same public-first mindset that guided his policing career.

His pitch is not for a wholesale reset. Galindo said the district has made real progress in programs such as career and technical education, Early College High School, dual credit, New Tech and STEM, and he argued those pathways should continue to expand so more students can move toward their goals. That matters in a district whose mission calls for a high-quality, innovative curriculum in a safe, nurturing and collaborative environment.

Galindo also put teacher and staff retention near the center of the race. He said pay competitiveness and continued staff progression have to remain priorities because the district cannot succeed without taking care of the people who work there every day. For voters, that puts a practical management question alongside the safety message: whether the board should focus as much on keeping classrooms staffed as on protecting them.

Safety remains the clearest link between Galindo’s policing background and his school-board platform. He said school security had improved during his time on the board, but he stressed the need to stay vigilant and keep committing resources to protect students and staff. That view fits his public-service resume at the Del Rio Police Department, whose duties include protecting citizens and property, preventing crime, enforcing laws and maintaining order.

The connection goes beyond city policing. The SFDR CISD Police Department says it works closely with Del Rio police, Val Verde County and state and federal agencies across the Del Rio and Laughlin Air Force Base area, a reminder that school security in Del Rio often overlaps with broader public-safety concerns.

Galindo first entered the local school-board contest in 2022, when he challenged Ken Smith for Place I. Board records show he was sworn in as a newly elected member on May 18, 2022. He later appeared in 2024 police contract negotiations as a Del Rio police sergeant involved in bargaining, reinforcing a public profile that now spans both law enforcement and district governance.