MARFA — Marfa ISD trustees voted to appoint Marfa residents Jay Foster and Philip Boyd to the school board at a regular meeting on Monday.
Board members Teresa Nuñez, Lori Flores, Stela Fuentez, Ruben Martinez and Interim Superintendent Artuo Alferez were present.
Previous school board Vice President Yolanda Jurado resigned — giving no reason — on November 18, prompting the board to solicit letters of interest from the community to fill the role. The board was set to discuss her replacement on Monday in executive session, a closed portion of a public meeting where personnel matters may be discussed. On Monday the board also accepted the resignation of trustee Paul Hunt, meaning there were then two board seats to fill.
The board thanked Hunt, who was appointed this past April, for his time on the board. Hunt did not attend the meeting and did not respond to a request for comment on his resignation by press time.
The board voted to appoint Jay Foster, a retired Marfa ISD teacher and coach who grew up in Alpine, to Place 3, the seat left vacant by Jurado in the middle of a three-year term. The Place 3 seat will be up for election in May 2027.
Foster worked at Marfa ISD as a coach and high school science and math teacher from 1973 to 2002. His daughter, Jaylia Foster, is a current teacher at the district. He also lends his voice as the announcer at the Shorthorn football games.
“I had a lot of people ask me to run,” Foster said of his decision to join the school board. “I’m not a politician, but this one came up, and I said, ‘Well, I’ve helped this district in a lot of ways over 50 years, and this will be a final straw to what I could call a career.’”
The board also voted to appoint Philip Boyd, vice president of science and research at the Dixon Water Foundation and partner of Abby Boyd, executive director of the Marfa Education Foundation, to Place 5, the seat left vacant by Hunt, and before him occupied by Ernie Villarreal. Place 5 will be up for election soon in May 2025. (May school board elections have been canceled the past three years due to a lack of candidates vying for the positions, and often current members just file to run again and are appointed.)
Boyd moved to Alpine in 2015 and earned his master’s degree in range and wildlife management from Sul Ross State University. He and Abby moved to Marfa in 2017.
“I have a lot of respect for the youth of Marfa and am inspired by them and the high standard of service set by others in our community,” Boyd said. “I’ve benefited from a good public school education in my life, and I have gratitude for that. When I was made aware of the recent openings on the Marfa ISD board, I saw it as an opportunity to show my support and to try to make a positive contribution.”
Board President Nuñez said the board decided to go ahead and fill both open positions — as opposed to going back to the public to solicit letters of interest in the wake of Hunt’s resignation — due to the timing of the two resignations and the fact that Foster and Boyd were both strong candidates.
“As a board, we recognized the value of having two highly qualified and committed candidates. We felt it was in the best interest of our district to fill the vacancies promptly, ensuring that every seat is fully filled,” Nuñez said. “A full board allows for more diverse perspectives during discussions, leading to more informed decision-making that ultimately benefits our school community.”