Luna-Chavez stresses school safety, communication, and student success in board bid

Rebekah Luna-Chavez is asking Val Verde County voters to judge her on whether school-board decisions make life steadier for families on an ordinary week, from safer campuses to faster communication home. The incumbent in Place V on the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District board is running in an election that will help shape a district with seven at-large trustees who set the budget, levy property taxes and put bond proposals before voters when needed.

The 2026 race is moving toward the May 2 election, with early voting beginning Monday, April 20. Filing for the four open board seats ran from January 14 through February 13, and the sample ballot lists Leonel “Leo” Cavazos as Luna-Chavez’s opponent in Place V. For parents, the contest matters because trustees do more than attend meetings. They adopt policy, review finances, study curriculum and make decisions that can affect classroom staffing, safety procedures and how quickly schools respond when families need information.

Luna-Chavez has built her pitch around that practical side of board service. In her profile, she described herself as a former educator and administrator who has also served on the Appraisal District Review Board and the Planning and Zoning Board, while volunteering at the local hospital and at Thanksgiving community meals. She said those roles, along with leadership and communication experience, prepare her to serve effectively on the school board and represent all voices fairly.

Her central message is that students and teachers cannot focus on academics unless they feel safe, and that parents deserve open communication that helps them understand what is happening in the district. That emphasis points to the kind of changes families would notice in a normal school week: clearer alerts when issues arise, a stronger focus on campus security, and a board less likely to treat parent concerns as an afterthought. Luna-Chavez also said teachers need resources and training to succeed, tying classroom performance to the support adults receive.

Her campaign comes after a year in which district leaders pressed state officials in Austin for higher basic allotment funding and teacher cost-of-living support. In April 2025, Superintendent Dr. Carlos Rios, Board President Raymond P. Meza, Luna-Chavez and Trustee Amy Haynes met with lawmakers as the district faced budget shortfalls that had already forced program reductions since the previous summer. Those fights over funding, staffing and program preservation will shadow the race as voters weigh who can protect schools without losing sight of student success.

Luna-Chavez’s public-service record also reaches beyond school governance. Ballotpedia says Becky Luna Chavez previously served as justice of the peace for Precinct 3 in Val Verde County after winning the Democratic nomination in a 2010 runoff and then running unopposed in the general election. Taken together with her work in education and local boards, her record positions her as a familiar figure in Del Rio politics who is asking voters to keep the district focused on safety, communication and measurable results.