Filoteo gets ECISD board approval

EDINBURG - It took the Edinburg CISD school board over three hours to emerge from the executive session of Tuesday night's meeting. And it was soon easy to see why.

When it came to the agenda item Director of Athletics, Stadium, Edinburg High boys basketball coach Joe Filoteo was approved 5-2 by the board to become the district's new AD, which might not seem so unusual. But Filoteo only received the board's approval after Mario Lopez, the district's Supervisor of Athletic Fields and Purchasing and the candidate recommended to the board by the district's interviewing committee, was opposed 4-3.

Lopez's hopes to be the district's next AD died by what the board said was "a lack of majority." The board then moved on to the next recommended candidate, Filoteo. Had he been voted down, Edinburg North varsity football coach Roy Garza was next - and last - in line.

"It was unusual. Yes, you could say it's unusual," Edinburg CISD Superintendent Gilberto Garza Jr. said.

The Edinburg CISD drama, however, doesn't quite stop there.

Before Filoteo gets too comfortable in his new office and starts hanging art on the walls, Robert Alaniz, the man he was supposed to replace, filed a grievance Monday. Alaniz, who had reportedly retired at the end of the school year, referred all inquiries to his attorney Tuesday night. Superintendent Garza said he could not comment on Alaniz's grievance.

Filoteo, who was not immediately available for comment Tuesday, has been the boys basketball coach at Edinburg for the last 25 years.

A member of the 2008 Class of the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Filoteo has won 553 games with the Bobcats, including a school-record 32 wins last season. When asked about his candidacy last week, Filoteo was confident he was the right man for the job that awkwardly became his Tuesday night.

"I think my 25 years of being here with the district is one reason why I feel that I can move up to that position," Filoteo said last week. "In those 25 years I've been able to work with a lot of people here, a lot of the staff, administrators and coaches, obviously. I've worked with a lot of great people here at Edinburg CISD.

"Besides my record in basketball, I feel I can bring the same type of attitude and success to the athletic department as a whole."

Todd Mavreles is the deputy sports editor for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4451.