Valerie Yeschke returns to Comstock ISD as principal

Comstock Independent School District has turned to a familiar face to help steady a tiny rural campus through a year of leadership change. Valerie Yeschke joined the district as principal on June 18, and her return comes just weeks after Dr. Gary Applewhite was named superintendent, putting both top jobs in new hands in the same month.

For Comstock, that matters because the district is small enough that one hire can shape everything from classroom priorities to the feel of the hallways. Texas Tribune Schools Explorer lists the district at 166 students and one campus, with 71.1% of students Hispanic and 49.4% economically disadvantaged. The district also says it offers career and technical education in Business, Applied Engineering, Scientific Research and Health, so the new principal will inherit a school where staffing decisions carry direct consequences for how many programs can stay strong.

Yeschke’s appointment also lands with unusual personal weight. She said she was one of the first transfer students to travel from Del Rio to Comstock, and after 21 years in education, she called the return a full-circle moment because the halls she is re-entering helped shape her. That history gives the hire a different feel from a routine personnel move in West Texas. It ties the school’s present to the families, alumni and teachers who have kept the Panther identity alive through generations.

The district had already signaled it was rebuilding for 2026-2027. On April 21, Comstock ISD posted that it was looking for a principal, teachers and coaches, a reminder that the job is not only about one administrator but about filling out a team. Public board materials also show a June 9 work session and regular meeting, underscoring that the transition happened during an active stretch of board business.

Yeschke said Comstock is a special place and pointed to the Panther Pride that runs through the community. Her message centered on collaboration, student development and high expectations, with a goal of supporting the whole child academically, socially and emotionally. For parents and students in Comstock, the first year will be judged less by ceremony than by whether staffing settles, students stay connected to school activities and the district can hold onto the close-knit culture that makes a small campus feel like the center of town.