By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Tuesday, during a special meeting, the Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the hiring of veteran band director Mario Morales to be the next Director of Instrumental Music in CCISD.
According to a media release from the district, Morales is a central Texas native who has served in this role in multiple districts.
Most recently, he has been Director of Bands in Yoakum ISD, earning a 1st-division rating at Region Marching Contest in 2024, guiding the Bulldog Band to the UIL Area E Finals in Class 3A. In 2025, Morales’ band earned Sweepstakes honor at UIL Concert & Sight-reading Contest.
Prior to Yoakum, Morales was the Director of Bands and Instrumental Music Supervisor at 5A Granbury High School from 2022-2024, earning a 1st-division rating at Region Marching Contest both years, advancing to Area Marching Contest. At the same time, the Pirate bands earned Sweepstakes for each band in the district both years and was named the 2023 TMEA 5A Area Honor Band Contender for Area B.
While at Granbury, Morales also served as a dual credit instructor for music appreciation through Weatherford College & Tarrant County College.
Prior to Granbury, Morales led the Kaufman High School program as Director of Bands from 2019-22, earning a 1st-divison rating at Region Marching Contest in all three years, advancing to the Area Marching Contest Finals in 2019 & 2021. In 2021, the Lion Band earned Sweepstakes for every band in the district at UIL Concert & Sight-reading Contest.
From 2016-2019, Morales was the Director of Bands at Castleberry High School near Fort Worth, earning a 1st-division rating at Region Marching Contest in 2016, 2017 and 2018, qualifying for Area Marching Contest in both 2016 & 2017. In 2018, Morales guided the Lion Band to an 11th-place finish at the UIL State Marching Band Championships in Class 4A.
Morales was not present at Tuesday’s special meeting but the district issued a statement on his behalf.
“I am incredibly honored to be named the new Director of Instrumental Music in Copperas Cove,” Morales said. “It is a privilege to join a community with such a strong tradition of musical excellence and student achievement. I look forward to working alongside the talented students, dedicated staff and supportive families to continue building a program that inspires passion, pride and lifelong musicianship. I am excited for all that lies ahead as we make music and memories together in Copperas Cove.”
Morales holds a bachelor’s degree from UT-Arlington and master’s degree from William Carey University. He served as an assistant director from 2007-2016 at Fort Worth Trimble Tech and Alief Hastings High Schools.
Pride of Cove band members speak up
During the special meeting, a total of 19 individuals spoke out in support of whom they believed to be the best candidate for the position – the district’s Interim Director of Instrumental Music, Nancy Norris.
Of those 19 who spoke, 12 were current students in the Pride of Cove band who passionately expressed why they believed she was the one for the position. They emphasized Norris’s dedication, leadership, and emotional support, and highlighted her role in stabilizing the band program and her contributions to the program’s success.
Many of the students referred to her as a “mama bear” and mother figure, and they urged the board to reconsider their decision not to hire Norris, citing her proven track record and the trust she has built with the students and community. The board was asked to prioritize stability and continuity over external hiring.
Penny Coats, a senior band member, shared support for Norris and questioned the hiring committee’s process.
“We’ve been told the hiring committee knows what’s best for us. With all due respect, how can they know what’s best for us when they haven’t asked us? How can they know what we need when they’re not out there sweating through our rehearsals or sitting in the Band Hall for hours each day or trying to hold a program together when leadership disappears overnight,” said Coats. “They weren’t there and they had no idea where our last director had gone. They weren’t there when Ms. Norris kept us together, emotionally and musically. They weren’t there when she made it clear that our program would survive because she believed in us. Let me ask you this…the people who are making this decision haven’t been in our shoes and haven’t stepped foot in our daily reality...how can they truly say they’re acting in our best interest?”
Ashelyn Riley, the current head drum major for the Pride of Cove, also asked the board to reconsider not hiring Norris.
“Ms. Norris, or Mama Bear, as the room calls her, has been holding the band together since day one, when the previous director had left me crying after every single band rehearsal, because of unfair treatment, name calling, bullying, harassment, inappropriate comments,” Riley said. “She was the only one that had stood up for me. She would let me cry to her for hours before scheduling a meeting with him to help me use my voice and express that I didn’t appreciate the way he was talking to me. When that stopped working, she stood up for me behind the scenes when I wasn’t even at school.
“Ms. Norris then proceeded to hold the entire marching band, Color Guard Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Winter Guard, Concert Band, everything together, when our past director had left and we were scared and confused and lost.”
They, and other students, referred to Lawrence Varela-Halbert, but not by name. Varela-Halbert, the prior Director of Instrumental Music, went absent from the district starting around the 3rd week of October 2024, when unconfirmed reports of him being on administrative leave began to circulate. Parents and students then took to social media to discuss and question his disappearance. According to a prior media release by the Copperas Cove Police Department, the department was notified of an allegation of an improper relationship between a female student and an educator on November 7. Varela-Halbert formally resigned from CCISD effective Jan. 8, 2025, after being arrested on a grand jury indictment of sexual assault of a child on December 19.
CCISD Superintendent discusses the hiring process
After an approximately one-hour closed session with the trustees, and prior to making his recommendation to hire Morales, CCISD Superintendent Brent Hawkins said he wanted to “walk through the facts of the situation” on how best to move forward.
“I want to take this moment to address some recent matters related to the Pride of Cove Band program. I want to remind everyone that no one has been asked to put into this difficult situation that we currently find ourselves in,” he said.
“All of those involved are extremely passionate and invested in their beliefs about the best path forward for the program, it is important that we remember that we are all on the same team, and while not every decision made will satisfy all stakeholders, our shared goal remains the same, the success of our students. When dissatisfied with an outcome, it is common to search for someone to blame. However, this is not a situation of wrongdoing, but rather one involving good people with differing perspectives on how to move forward.”
He said he wanted to address the misinformation that has been circulating and hold true to certain legal and ethical boundaries they must honor.
“Dr. Joseph Burns appointed the interim director of instrumental music following the departure of the previous director,” Hawkins said. “Upon assuming the role of superintendent, I met with the interim director to assess the program’s needs, including to but not limited to supplies, staffing and the long-term vision of the program. We made several key decisions, including the interim director’s salary which was increased to address and reflect an additional workload. The current budget was enhanced to meet the identified needs. We discussed the upcoming budget cycle to address future goals. I also highlighted the interim position as an opportunity to lead and strengthen the applicant’s resume in preparation for the process of formal hiring, which would have an opportunity to culminate in April.”
He said that additional staffing wasn’t approved at that time due to the uncommon nature of the midyear hire, but the district did move a junior high staff member to assist as junior high staffing levels permitted.
He said that over the course of the spring, he received many recommendations and voices advocating for an internal candidate, but in every case, he explained the longstanding precedent in Copperas Cove ISD, and the expectation is to follow a fair and competitive hiring process. The decision to recommend Morales as the hire was made by a committee, Hawkins said. The committee included individuals with years of experience supervising music programs, and current educators currently supervising music programs and two parents of students in the band program.
“Following the conclusion of the interviews, the committee reported that no internal candidate ranked in the top two, nor was an internal candidate the unanimous first choice,” he added. “The selected candidate was determined to have a strong history of leading successful programs, a clear vision of excellence, and a structured, 30-, 60-, and 90-day plan for implementing that said vision.”
Hawkins did not mention Norris, the interim director, by name but said he also met with the “internal candidate” to inform them of the committee’s recommendation and to ensure a respectful and transparent conversation and transition that should follow.
“I want to unequivocally be clear, no one was forced to retire or terminated from their position before I formally make a recommendation to the board.”
There were six applicants for the position, one withdrew, and the five remaining applicants were each interviewed, said Tracie Phillips, Executive Director of Human Resources and hiring committee member. Other committee members included S.C. Lee Junior High Principal Marshall Chauvin, CCHS Principal Carlin Grammer, CCJHS Principal Jeff Shannon, and CCISD trustee Sherry Hoffpauir.
Shannon said that one of the thing that stood out to him about Morales was that not only did he have a great resume, but he has also been on some of the boards and judging of state competitions as well.
Hoffpauir shared what made Morales stand out to her.
“Something he said that really stuck out with me was, the people we serve deserve our very best. I feel like he’s the best candidate, not only on paper, but once you meet him, he’s real personable, and he’ll be able to bridge any divides that we have.
“We asked how he would bridge or rebuild trust, with the kids and the parents and community. And he said, ‘with a lot of patience,’ and it was going to take time. I like that answer. I also like the fact that he had researched our band and watched a lot of our performances, and he says that we’re a sleeping giant and he wants to take a great program and make it even greater. He realizes what a great program we already have.”
The Board of Trustees will hold its regular May workshop at noon on Monday, May 12th in the Board Room at the District Service & Training Center on South Main Street. The regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tues., May 13th and will be held in Lea Ledger Auditorium on the campus of Copperas Cove High School.
Agendas for all Board of Trustees meetings are posted outside the District Service & Training Center 72 hours prior. Once posted, they can be viewed at www.CCISD.com/SchoolBoard.
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