Mañueco replaces Pardo for Ares González at the helm of Education

The president of the Junta of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, ordered the dismissal of María Pardo Álvarez as Minister of Education and appointed María del Valle Ares González in her place, according to two agreements signed in Valladolid on October 23 and published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León (BOCYL) no. 207, dated October 26, 2026. The handover is formalized in two consecutive resolutions from the Presidency: AGREEMENT 15/2026, which orders the dismissal, and AGREEMENT 16/2026, which confers the appointment. Both texts occupy pages 10 and 11 of the gazette, within section I.A, General Provisions.

The two agreements are adopted under identical regulatory coverage: article 27 of the Statute of Autonomy of Castilla y León and articles 7 and 25 of Law 3/2001, of July 3, on the Government and Administration of the Community of Castilla y León. These are, therefore, decisions of free appointment by the president, without the intervention of the Cortes, and with immediate effect from their official publication.

The department changing hands has its scope defined by Decree 18/2026, of June 29, which establishes the organic structure of the Ministry of Education, attributing to it non-university educational policy and organizing its central governing bodies, including the General Directorate of Planning and Academic Organization and the General Directorate of Education Professionals. This decree implements the previous restructuring approved by Decree 2/2026, of June 13, regarding the restructuring of the ministries of the Junta.

A dismissal with express gratitude

AGREEMENT 15/2026 contains a single decision: “To dismiss Ms. María Pardo Álvarez as Minister of Education of the Junta of Castilla y León, thanking her for the services rendered.” The text does not detail the reasons for the replacement nor establish any transition period.

The departure occurs while the outgoing minister was still fully active as a signatory. Her signature appears in ORDER EDU/1093/2026, of October 20, published in BOCYL no. 206 on October 23, which resolved a call for free appointment within the Ministry of Education. Previously, she had signed, among others, ORDER EDU/922/2026, of September 21, regarding essential services in public teaching centers.

Who is the new head

AGREEMENT 16/2026 appoints María del Valle Ares González as Minister of Education, without adding conditions or deadlines. Her name had already appeared in the gazette recently: ORDER EDU/867/2026, of September 2 (BOCYL no. 173, of September 7, p. 77), appointed her as alternate vice-president of the Vocational Training Council of Castilla y León representing the Ministry of Education, replacing Jesús Manuel Hurtado Olea.

That order was issued under Decree 82/2000, of April 27, creating the Vocational Training Council, which sets the term of office for vice-presidents and councilors at four years and allows for the replacement of appointees for the remainder of the predecessor’s term. The new councilor thus arrives with previous experience in the governing bodies of Vocational Training.

A department under tension

The handover occurs after a quarter of conflict in the non-university education system. ORDER EDU/922/2026, of September 21, conditioned the exercise of the right to strike by personnel in public teaching centers to the guarantee of essential services, following the call for strikes on September 24 and 25, 2026, by the National Independent Union for Development and Innovation (SINDI-K).

Tension also extends to complementary services. ORDER PRE/1099/2026, of October 23, established minimum services in response to the urban road passenger transport strike in the province of Segovia, and included a specific annex for school transport routes due to their impact on the students’ right to education.

The scope of the change

The handover affects the department that manages the network of public non-university teaching centers, teaching staff, and support services for the education system, in addition to Vocational Training. The simultaneous publication of the dismissal and the appointment, with barely a line of separation in the same bulletin, avoids any vacancy in the leadership of the department and transfers the immediate management of the school year and negotiations with education unions to the new team.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 207, of October 26, 2026, section I.A, pp. 10-11 (official reference: BOCYL-D-26102026-207-1 and BOCYL-D-26102026-207-2).