There’s a new set of eyes on the Vernon Independent School District administration team, as Dr. Luciano Castro has joined the staff as the assistant superintendent. The Vernon ISD board of trustees approved the hiring of Dr. Castro at their April business meeting, however he completed the 2025-26 school year with Lake Worth ISD, where he served as the high school principal. His first official day with Vernon ISD was June 1.
“We are very happy to have Dr. Castro here with us,” said Dr. Blaise Boswell, who assumed VISD superintendent duties last November, serving first as the interim before being named the lone finalist in February and officially hired in March. “We had several very qualified applicants for the assistant superintendent position, who looked good on paper and who interviewed well. I spent a day with a couple of applicants at their current school, and Dr. Castro just stood out.
“He did a great of communicating with both staff and students, and you could feel the positive culture he had built when you stepped into the building,” Dr. Boswell continued. “Dr. Castro brings new thoughts and ideas with him, and I look forward to working with him.”
A native-Texan, Dr. Castro was born and raised in Austin. He earned his bachelor of science degree from Cornell University, and received his master’s degree and doctorate from Texas State University. Dr. Castro just completed his 26th year as an educator. He was a teacher/coach for nine years before transitioning to administration, where he has spent the last 17 years in various roles at the campus level.
“I am honored and excited to join the Vernon Lions,” Dr. Castro said. “Over the course of my career I have been a part of five successful turnaround ventures, and since 2013 the campuses I have led have earned 14 TEA (Texas Education Agency) campus-level distinctions. Those distinctions include Academic Achievement, Postsecondary Readiness, and Closing the Gaps. These recognitions reflect not only strong student outcomes, but also the systems and cultures necessary to sustain them.
“I am ready to contribute in any way possible to help build on the positive momentum that has already been established here at Vernon ISD,” he added. “I look forward to meeting our students and their parents, and other residents of the community.”
Dr. Castro and his wife, Franchesca, who joined VISD as a special education teacher at the Vernon State Hospital campus, have a one child still at home, a son who will be a junior this fall.