LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees announced two campus leadership appointments during a special-called meeting Tuesday.
Jason Cheslock was named principal of Mackenzie Middle School for the 2026-2027 academic year. He will replace Nikki Beaty, who will transition into a leadership role at Coronado High School this fall.
Cheslock joined the district in July 2024 and has served as assistant principal at Cavazos Middle School. He has nearly two decades of teaching, coaching and leadership experience at school districts throughout Texas. Before joining Lubbock ISD, he served in leadership positions at districts in the North Texas area, including as an elementary school principal at Poolville Independent School District, a STEM academy principal and associate principal at Gainesville Independent School District and as an assistant principal at Denton Independent School District.
Cheslock earned a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in leadership and education administration from Lamar University and superintendent certification from the University of North Texas.
The board also ratified Melissa Hernandez-Serenil as principal of Wolffarth Elementary School for the 2026-2027 academic year. Hernandez-Serenil will replace Josie Cedillo, who announced her retirement from Wolffarth at the end of this school year.
Hernandez-Serenil has served as principal of Ramirez Elementary School since May 2019. She began her service to the district in 1997 as a teacher at Bean Elementary, serving in that role for 15 years before becoming assistant principal. She then served as the district’s bilingual/ESL coordinator before beginning her tenure at Ramirez.
Since Hernandez-Serenil joined Ramirez, the school went from a “B” rating in the Texas Education Agency’s annual accountability ratings in 2019 to an “A” rating every year since then.
She joins the Wolffarth team as they prepare to join the McWhorter Elementary family in a new school building in 2028.
Hernandez-Serenil holds a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies and master’s degree in bilingual education from Texas Tech University. She also holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Lubbock Christian University.
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