Burnet school district swears in trustees, chief of police
The 2026 Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees, including Ross Behrens, Amber Cardenas, Katy Duke, David Bennett, Angela Moore, Mark Kincaid, and Earl Foster. Staff photos by Caden Senn
The Burnet Consolidated Independent School District seated a new board trustee and reaffirmed an incumbent trustee during its Monday, May 18, meeting. The district also swore in the chief of its own newly-established police department.
The board’s new trustee, Amber Cardenas, was elected to replace outgoing Place 3 trustee Suzanne Brown. Place 7 incumbent Mark Kincaid was similarly elected to serve another term in his seat. Both candidates ran unopposed on the May 2 ballot, and were subsequently elected to their respective positions immediately following the election.
The new board also reappointed Earl Foster, Angela Moore, and Kincaid to their positions as president, vice president, and secretary respectively.
Prior to the certification of the trustees, Superintendent Dr. Aaron Peña recognized outgoing trustee Brown’s service to the district, which she joined in 2017.
“Suzanne joined the BCISD Board of Trustees in May 2017, bringing not only professional experience and leadership, but also the perspective of a deeply-invested parent and community member,” Dr. Peña said. “She consistently kept students at the center of every conversation and decision.”
At the same meeting, Dewayne Kyle was sworn in as the district’s first-ever chief of police. BCISD began laying the groundwork for its own police department in March 2025 and hired Kyle as its chief of security at the time.
Chief Kyle is the former chief of police for the city of Bertram, and brings 40 years of law enforcement experience to the district.