On Wednesday, June 24, Timothy E. Cuff was named lone finalist to be Brownsville ISD superintendent of schools with a 4-3 vote by the board of trustees. Notably, Board President Daniella Lopez Valdez dissented alongside Trustees Jessica Gonzalez and Neida Ruth Soto-Grantland.

Most recently Principal of America Paredes Elementary, Cuff was also previously head at Sharp Elementary and before that worked for BISD as assistant superintendent of support services.

Cuff’s selection followed an extensive search process conducted by the board with the help of an Austin law firm.

Nevertheless, Cuff’s track record speaks for itself.In 2022, his first year since taking over, Sharp Elementary earned a coveted “A” rating (scoring a 97 out of 100 overall) from the TEA. More specifically, Sharp also notably earned a 97/100 in Academic Growth, indicating that students were making rapid year-over-year progress under his administration, heavily outperforming state baselines for other economically disadvantaged campuses.

With success preceding Cuff, it will be on him to continue his run with his biggest job yet. As BISD Superintendent, he will now serve 36,140 students in 31 elementary schools, 6 middle schools and 4 high schools scattered across 95 square miles managed by 6,000 employees. A sizable task but not one that should be in any way beyond him.

Under Texas law, a mandatory 21-day waiting period is required before the Board may take final action to appoint Cuff.