Gadsden Independent School District's Board of Education yesterday handed the top job to Nubia Tarazona, stripping the "interim" label from the leader who has been steering the district through a leadership transition. The move caps a finalist interview process and a community-engaged search that trustees say balanced local input with formal vetting. Tarazona has been serving in an acting capacity for the district for several months while the board wrapped up its search.
Board Makes The Pick
Board President Christian Lira told local media the trustees are "proud to welcome Nubia Tarazona to Gadsden ISD," according to KTSM 9 News. District officials said the choice followed what they described as a "comprehensive search process" that mixed community feedback with formal sit-downs with finalists. They added that more details about how the handoff will work are coming soon.
Tarazona's Bilingual-Education Résumé
Tarazona brings more than two decades in public education and previously served as the district's director of language, equity and cultural arts before stepping into the interim role. Her district biography notes campus- and district-level roles in both Gadsden and Las Cruces Public Schools, along with an MBA, a master’s in educational management and Level III administrative licensure, according to Gadsden ISD. She has signaled that unity, language access and student achievement will be front and center as she settles into the permanent post.
How The Search Unfolded
The board had earlier trimmed the field to four finalists: Tarazona, Maria Hernandez, Mychl Buckley and Veronica Candelaria, and held finalist interviews on April 25 as part of an outreach-focused process, local coverage shows. KVIA ABC-7 reported the finalist slate and noted that community feedback factored into the vetting. Trustees framed the appointment as one more step toward steadying leadership at a district that serves border communities in southern Doña Ana County.
What It Means For Families
Gadsden ISD covers dozens of campuses across the southern Rio Grande valley and serves roughly 14,000 students, many of them bilingual. The district says Tarazona's background in language and equity work lines up with that student population, per the district website. With the board's vote, she becomes the district's permanent superintendent heading into the summer and the next school year, and officials say they will spell out transition details for staff and families in the coming days.
