Boerne ISD Trustee Rich Sena Makes Final Pitch for Fifth Term as Place 7 Race Heads to Election Day

With early voting closed and Election Day set for Saturday, May 2, Boerne ISD Place 7 Trustee Rich Sena is making his closing case to voters: keep a steady, experienced hand on a school district that has earned "A" ratings six years running and a Superior rating in financial integrity every year of his tenure.

Sena, the current Board Vice President and a trustee since 2014, is seeking a fifth term against challenger Michael Ethridge. The contest is one of the few decided races on the May 2 ballot in Boerne ISD and the surrounding cities.

"Providing a strong education for our children is the most important thing a community can do," Sena said. "Communities can have beautiful parks and great roads, but they cannot truly thrive without excellent schools. That belief is why I ran ten years ago, and it is why I am asking voters for another term."

Under the boards Sena has served on, Boerne ISD has earned an "A" accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency for six consecutive years and has held a Superior rating from the state's Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) every year he has been a trustee. The district has balanced its budgets, maintained the recommended fund balance, and reduced administrative overhead by $1.5 million in the most recent budget cycle.

Sena has also chaired the district's Legislative Advocacy Committee, where he was one of only a handful of Texas school board members to testify in Austin in support of a state-funded teacher retention allotment that ultimately passed.

"There is not a person in this community who has advocated harder for our teachers than I have," Sena said. "Starting pay for a Boerne ISD teacher has gone from $43,000 to $60,000 during my time on the board. That did not happen by accident. It happened because we made it a priority and we kept showing up in Austin to fight for it."

Boerne ISD is one of the fastest-growing districts in the Texas Hill Country, and Sena has consistently argued that growth has to be planned for with data, not guessed at. The district works with a professional demographer who provides annual enrollment projections, and the board uses long-range planning committees and citizen panels to shape recommendations on facilities, curriculum, and capital needs.

Sena has also pointed to opportunities for expanding Career and Technical Education offerings as a priority for his next term, alongside continued investment in leadership training and professional development for staff.

"We can never rest on our laurels," Sena said. "Continuous improvement is the standard. The minute a district gets comfortable is the minute it starts falling behind."

Sena is a first-generation American whose parents came to the United States from Italy. He graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in New York and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Colgate University. He owns and operates his own insurance agency in Boerne. Both of Sena's children went through Boerne ISD for all thirteen years of their elementary and secondary education. His daughter is now a fourth-grade teacher at Comal ISD's Bill Brown Elementary, and his son works in sales for David Weekley Homes.

"My kids got an excellent education in Boerne ISD," Sena said. "Every decision I make as a trustee comes back to one question: are we giving the next generation of Boerne kids the same shot mine got? That is the job."

Election Day for the Boerne ISD Board of Trustees Place 7 race is Saturday, May 2, 2026. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting ran April 20 through April 28 and is now closed. Polling locations are: City Hall (Training Room), 447 N Main Street, Boerne, TX 78006; and City of Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department, Public Safety Training Room, 7286 Dietz Elkhorn, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX 78015. For more information, visit www.senaforbisd.com.