Frank Ortiz
TX · Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees, Position 4
Frank Ortiz has been a Brownsville ISD trustee since 2022 and is the board's vice president. He is a retired BISD administrator who was principal at Burns and Cromack elementary schools and has trained student teachers at UT Rio Grande Valley.
Where Frank Ortiz stands, based on their records
Supports
Government Efficiency (4 records), Public Safety and Crime Control (1 record), Public Education Quality (2 records),
Mixed record
Government Spending Reduction (2 support · 5 oppose)
Track record
Track record — Government Efficiency
Government Efficiency · 4 support
Voted to hire the firm CliftonLarsonAllen for a forensic audit that also covers the district's federal pandemic relief (ESSER) money. It passed 6-1.
February 3, 2026Supports Government Efficiency
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Backed a forensic audit by an outside auditor of money and projects from the district's 2015 tax ratification election. It passed 4-3.
February 4, 2025Supports Government Efficiency
Source: myrgv.com
Voted to hire an outside auditor for a forensic audit of the district. The motion failed 3-4.
January 14, 2025Supports Government Efficiency
Source: myrgv.com
Backed hiring a firm to do a forensic audit of the whole district, an item he co-sponsored with Carlos Elizondo. The motion failed 3-4.
September 3, 2024Supports Government Efficiency
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Track record — Government Spending Reduction
Government Spending Reduction · 2 support · 5 oppose
Voted to call a $460 million bond election: $385 million for school buildings and $75 million for a performing arts center. It passed 5-2.
August 18, 2025Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against calling a $350 million bond election for roofs, air conditioning and a performing arts center. The motion failed 3-3.
February 13, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against letting staff negotiate with a bond lawyer ahead of a possible bond election. It passed 4-3.
January 27, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted for the district's 2024-2025 budget, which passed 6-1.
June 20, 2024Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Seconded a motion to keep six Southmost elementary schools open using other funding sources. It failed 2-5.
May 7, 2024Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against merging three pairs of Southmost elementary schools, including Cromack into Castaneda, a plan meant to save about $1 million per merger. Each merger passed 5-2.
April 9, 2024Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Backed raising a one-time retention stipend for all district employees to $1,250. The amendment failed 3-4.
January 17, 2023Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 1 support
Voted against asking the state to excuse the district from House Bill 3's rule requiring an armed security officer at every campus. The request passed 4-3.
September 5, 2023Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Track record — Public Education Quality
Public Education Quality · 2 support
Voted for a resolution backing the Texas AFL-CIO's push to repeal the state's new school voucher law. It passed 5-1.
October 7, 2025Supports Public Education Quality
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Backed raising a one-time retention stipend for all district employees to $1,250. The amendment failed 3-4.
January 17, 2023Supports Public Education Quality
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Track record — Public Infrastructure
Public Infrastructure · 1 support
Voted to call a $460 million bond election: $385 million for school buildings and $75 million for a performing arts center. It passed 5-2.
August 18, 2025Supports Public Infrastructure
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Track record — General
General · 22 records
Seconded a motion to replace the board president with Carlos Elizondo. It passed 4-2.
July 17, 2026
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted to name Timothy Cuff the lone finalist for superintendent. It passed 4-3.
June 24, 2026
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted to suspend Superintendent Jesus H. Chavez, place him on administrative leave, and name Alda Benavides interim superintendent. It passed 5-2.
April 7, 2026
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Backed placing Superintendent Jesus H. Chavez on leave until a Texas Education Agency investigation finished. It failed 3-4.
March 4, 2026
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted to opt the district out of Senate Bill 11, the state law on setting aside time for prayer in schools. It passed 6-0 with one abstention.
February 3, 2026
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted again and again to drop the board's outside law firm, O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo. He backed firing it in December 2022 and January 2025 and voted against keeping it in June and September 2025. In December 2025 the board rehired the firm 4-2 with one abstention, over his no vote.
December 9, 2025
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against an employee health plan that raised worker premiums 15% to save about $5 million. The plan failed 3-3.
September 25, 2025
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Was appointed board vice president; the vote was 4-1 with him and one other trustee abstaining.
August 5, 2025
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against calling a May 2025 special election to fill the board seat left open by the death of president Erasmo Castro. The motion failed 2-4.
March 14, 2025
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against a resolution backing the Texas AFT union's Educators' Bill of Rights. It passed 4-3.
February 4, 2025
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted for the 2024-2025 tax rate of about $1.0287 per $100 of value, slightly below the prior year's rate. It passed 6-1.
September 3, 2024
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against hiring Jesus H. Chavez as superintendent at a $375,000 base salary, saying the district faced serious money problems. The contract passed 5-2.
March 20, 2024
Source: myrgv.com
Voted against naming Jesus H. Chavez the lone finalist for superintendent. The board approved him 4-2.
February 20, 2024
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Put on the agenda and seconded a plan to hire an outside investigator to look into claims that a board member tried to use his position to get a food services employee promoted. It failed 3-4.
November 14, 2023
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against censuring fellow trustee Carlos Elizondo for his conduct at a September 2023 meeting. The censure passed 4-3.
October 3, 2023
Source: myrgv.com
After student complaints, joined Minerva Pena in moving to keep all six high school graduations in the evening at 7:30 p.m. The board approved it.
October 3, 2023
Source: myrgv.com
Voted for Superintendent Rene Gutierrez's revised contract, which passed 5-2.
July 24, 2023
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against adding a year to Superintendent Rene Gutierrez's contract. The extension passed 4-3.
June 28, 2023
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Voted against hiring the district's new chief academic, chief financial and chief human resources officers. He and two other trustees said they could not approve the jobs before the pay plan was adopted. The hires passed 4-3.
June 13, 2023
Source: myrgv.com
Voted to bring back recordings of the board's closed-session discussions. The motion passed 6-1.
December 13, 2022
Source: meetings.boardbook.org
Was sworn in as trustee; leaders of the Association of Brownsville Educators union said at the meeting that the union had exclusively endorsed him and Carlos Elizondo.
November 17, 2022
Source: myrgv.com
Won the Brownsville ISD Position 4 trustee seat, defeating board vice president Prisci Roca Tipton with about 58% of the vote.
November 8, 2022
Source: myrgv.com
Past race Frank Ortiz ran in:
- Brownsville Independent School District School Trustee, Position 4 · November 3, 2026 · Brownsville Independent School District, Texas · incumbent