Calexico Unified board announces appointment of Lucio Padilla as Calexico High principal and approves OAH settlement

The Calexico Unified School District board announced that it approved the appointment of Lucio Padilla as principal of Calexico High School beginning the 2026-27 school year and approved a settlement in Office of Administrative Hearings case number 2026030271, the board said after a closed-session meeting.

The board approved the principal appointment after a motion by Trustee Contreras and a second from Trustee Arellano. The clerk announced the vote as "5 2 0." The board later approved the OAH case settlement on a motion by Mr Avina, seconded by Miss Calderon; the clerk announced that vote as 4 to 0, with Trustee Contreras absent. The clerk then called and the board passed a motion to adjourn.

The announcement did not include additional details about the terms of the OAH settlement or background on Padilla’s prior assignments; the board presented both items as actions taken in closed session and reported the outcomes when the meeting reconvened. The district did not provide a public explanation of the reasons behind the OAH settlement in the announcement.

The meeting concluded with the board adjourning following the reported votes.