latino education magazine fall 2013

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www.LatinoEducationMagazine.com

LATINO EDUCATIONMAGAZINE

Will Valley Students be Prepared for the Coming

Healthcare Boom?

RGV EDITION

Valley School Superintendents Share Their Vision And Plans

Eva Longoria on Latina Education

Fall 2013

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LATINO EDUCATIONMAGAZINE

O ne of the brightest stars in the e n t e r t a i n m e n t industry is making

sure Latinas gain equal access to higher education. Actress Eva Longoria has made it a priority to emphasize education in the Latino Community.

Not only is Longoria an accomplished actress, she is also a passionate philanthropist, activist, published author and entrepreneur. She has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was recently honored as philanthropist of the year by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

She continues her efforts with the Eva Longoria Foundation to help empower Latinas to reach their potential through education and entrepreneurship and to build a stronger community.

Latina Actress, Eva Longoria, Vocal on Issue of Education for Latinas

Atomic Physicist, Ana Maria

2013 McArthur Foundation Fellow

Ana Maria Rey is a theoretical physicist working across the interfaces of atomic, molecular, optical, and condensed matter physics with the goal of using mathematical models to describe the complex behavior of nature. Rey is tackling this challenge through her research on ultracold optical-lattice systems, which will facilitate progress in areas such as quantum simulation and quantum information and enable the preparation of large-scale entanglement between atoms.

HB 5 makes changes to high school requirements

The high school graduation program will undergo changes in accordance with House Bill 5 passed by the 83rd Texas Legislature this year. The Texas

Education Agency (TEA) released a draft of the rules in October to be considered in the November meeting of the State Board of Education (SBOE) following input gathered from public commentary by State Board members. Ruben Cortez, Jr. SBOE District 2 representative recently held a forum at PSJA Southwest Early College High School seeking input from teachers and school administrators. Final vote on the measure will take place in January 2014.

The new graduation program will apply to students entering Grade 9 in the 2014-2015 school year. The program includes a provision that requires students to declare in writing an endorsement choice upon entering the ninth grade. The endorsement categories include: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Business and Industry; Public Services; Arts and Humanities; and a Multidisciplinary path.

Engaging Communities in College and Career Readiness (ENCORE) will be partnering with school districts to offer information sessions for parents on House Bill 5 and its impact on their children’s plan for graduation. The sessions will focus on parents knowing the main points of the law, understanding the endorsement choices available under the new program, and planning for their children’s graduation pathway in collaboration with school personnel.

For more information, please contact Dann Garcia, Senior Vice President for ENCORE at [email protected].

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By Dr. Roland S. ArriolaLatino Education Magazine

The Lower Rio Grande Valley got a shot in the arm when the Texas Legislature passed a measure creating a medical school and a new mega-university with more than 30,000 students.

This legislative action has raised expectations for the transformation of the RGV into a major regional medical education center.

None of these expectations will materialize without significant new investments from the business commu-nity, local and state governmental sectors, community or-ganizations, school districts and educational institutions.

Despite rising college admissions and graduation in-creases, the future demand for healthcare professionals in the Rio Grande Valley dramatically exceeds the po-tential supply (THECB, 2012).

Currently the Valley has healthcare employers who have jobs they want to fill but are having trouble finding adequately trained individuals to fill them.

In addition, individuals who are interested in careers in health care struggle to identify opportunities for which they are qualified.

This gap between the available workforce and jobs is likely to worsen as the economy improves and as cur-rent skilled workers retire.

Many of these “middle skill” healthcare jobs require very specific academic credentials and certifications. Aligning education and training pathways with job op-portunities in health care will help more people connect to in-demand jobs

It will take a concerted effort from local school dis-tricts, community colleges, community organizations, and the new mega-university to inform, interest, and

excite students about the coming opportunities in the healthcare field.

If enough healthcare professionals cannot be trained to fill the pipeline using current approaches, innovative methods must be developed to meet this need.

According to a report by the American Diploma Proj-ect, “high school standards are not always anchored in the skills and knowledge employers and colleges now demand. As a result, students can graduate from high school and believe they’ve done well, but they can still find themselves unprepared for work and learning.”

With the recent passage of House Bill 5 (HB 5) schools will be given more options, and students can elect to pursue “endorsements.” An endorsement path is similar to a college student declaring a major.

The student may choose from a Business and Indus-try, Arts and Humanities, Public Services, STEM, or Multidisciplinary path.

If local school districts are to succeed in filling the STEM pipeline, and in particular healthcare-related training, they will need to adopt cutting-edge career and technical education (CTE) programs that bear little relationship to the old vocational education programs.

The Georgetown Center on Education and the Work-force has forecast that even in the second decade of the 21st century, most job openings will not require a B.A. or an advanced degree. The Center projects there will be 47 million job openings in this decade, many of which will be replacements for workers who have retired or quit.

While the Center predicts that a record 63 percent of these openings will require some college education or better, they say that nearly half of these post-secondary positions will only require an A.A. degree or less.

Virtually all of these non-B.A. jobs will require the kinds of real-world skills students master in career and

Will Valley Students be Ready for the Healthcare Boom?

Dr. Roland S. Arriola is the President of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Prior to serving in this capacity, he served as Vice President for External Affairs at The University of Texas – Pan American. He holds a B.A. in communications from Baylor University, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.

technical education. These include positions in nurs-ing, health technology, commercial construction, man-ufacturing, and natural resources.

To ensure that the RGV is successful in preparing its students for the coming boom in healthcare jobs, steps must be taken to assist every student beginning in middle school to develop an individualized pathway plan that will include career objectives, a program of study, degree and/or certificate objectives, and work-linked learning experiences.

These pathway plans should not be set in concrete, and students should not be forced into irreversible tracks. But the merits of this approach are obvious, i.e., Valley students will be better prepared for the jobs of the future.

PREPARING FORTHE FUTUREOF HEALTH CARE

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Will Valley Students be Ready for the Healthcare Boom?

““

I began college as an education major with a theater minor with the intention of eventually teaching speech and theater.

- Jimmy Smits

Latino Actor Encourages Students to Stay in School

It was not too long ago when Actor Jimmy Smits entered City University in New York as-piring to be a teacher and continue his acting.

The box office actor recalls the stress and determination it took for him to take on fatherhood and juggle class and work all at the same time.

“I would take the earliest possible morning classes, come home to feed and take care of my daughter, work afternoons at a Brooklyn youth development program where I had performed community service work in high school, and then return to school to work on plays,” Smits said. “I began college as an education major with a theater minor with the intention of even-tually teaching speech and theater.”

Smits was encouraged to continue acting as a gradu-ate student. At Brooklyn College he received a B.A. degree in theatre and earning a Master of Fine Arts from Cornell University in 1982. And at times prior to all his success, Smits had doubts about school and working in theater.

“I was raised to accept the challenges I had set for myself,” Smits said. “Because of graduate school, I have felt well grounded and able to realize my poten-tial as an actor.”

Smits is a first generation American. His mother is from Puerto Rico and his father is from a Dutch colony in South America known as Suriame.

“Through education, especially higher education, a person becomes well-rounded, particularly in the field of performing arts,” Smits said. “Certainly, there are those who become successes, even superstars, and never attend college. However, on a personal level, college and graduate school made me a better actor.”

Smits says a positive attitude is important to have in the movie industry. Actors have to constantly audition for new roles in films and the competition is rife.

“There are always projects that you want to do as an actor that for some reason or other, having nothing to do with your talent, don’t materialize,” Smits said. “You might even be rejected because of ethnic preju-dices. Whatever the reason for the adversity you face, you must never abandon your aspirations.”

Jimmy Smits is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe winning actor. He has established himself as one of the most versatile actors in television and film.

Smits has enjoyed roles on NYPD Blue, The West Wing and L.A. Law on television. On film Smits played Senator Bail Organa in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and reprised the role in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. On the theater stage Smits has been seen in Much Ado About Nothing and Anna in the Tropics, a Broadway play.

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New Medical School and

Governor Rick Perry was joined by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Senator Eddie Lucio Jr., Senator Judith Zaffirini, Representative Rene Oliveira, the University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell, Regent Ernest Aliseda, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) President Robert Nelson, The University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) President Juliet Garcia, and other dignitaries at the signing ceremony for Senate Bill 24.

G overnor Rick Perry and Rio Grande Valley leaders held a news conference in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) to sign legislation creating a new school of medicine in this region. Governor Perry told assembled news media that the creation of the medical school will position the Rio Grande Valley as an “epicenter for economic growth” in the state. (The Monitor, 2013).

With the advent of a new medical school and the merger of two major universities in the RGV –the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Texas at Brownsville—Deep South Texas is poised for exponential growth. But to be able to embrace and support this growth, it is vital that the RGV take urgent steps to overcome an acute and pervasive shortage of healthcare workers.

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New Medical School and Merger of UTPA and UTB

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MATHTEACH -- The Texas Graduate Center’s Julio Tobias instructing his Algebra I students at Edinburg CISD. Tobias recently returned from Harvard University summer school, a residency requirement of the Math for Teaching Master’s program.

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By Adriana V. Lopez & Raul Garcia Jr.Latino Education Magazine

As a child of migrant farmworkers, Julio Tobias learned the importance of hard work at a young age. His parents instilled in him a strong work ethic and insisted his education always be a top priority. As a result of their support and encouragement, Tobias went on to graduate in the top

10 percent of his class and received a full scholarship to the University of Texas-Pan American. His dedication and hard work continue today as a Harvard University Masters student studying at the Texas Graduate Center (TGC) in Mercedes, Texas.

Tobias, an Algebra teacher at Edinburg North High School, is part of a select group of teachers in the Rio Grande Valley participating in a MATHTEACH Collaborative, composed of local school districts committed to supporting their teachers in earning a Master of Liberal Arts in Mathematics for Teaching from Harvard University. MATHTEACH was established by the Texas Graduate Center, a component of The Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF). The TGC partners with world-renowned universities to support programs in higher education for Rio Grande Valley residents.

For its premier collaboration, the TGC approached Harvard University to establish a distance-learning program for qualified mathematics teachers in the Rio Grande Valley— a first for Harvard. This three-year program is delivered through distance-learning classes taken at the TGC and includes summer residency at Harvard University.

The first cohort is fully funded by Region One GEAR UP, participating school districts, and community partners.

The program was created in an effort to improve student performance in the area of mathematics. Its ultimate goal is to implement transformative change in schools and communities through higher education. The TGC is under the direction of Rio Grande Valley native and former Edcouch-Elsa ISD Superintendent, Dr. Mary Alice Reyes. Dr. Roland Arriola, President and founder of the TVCOF has a succinct philosophy on how to improve student performance, “If we want world-class students, we need to have world-class teachers.”

Currently, there are nine teachers enrolled in the program: Karina Araiza (PSJA ISD), Juan Barrera (PSJA ISD), Ramiro Ayala (Donna ISD), Marvelia Balboa (San Benito CISD), Ricardo Delgado (San Benito CISD), Corazon Bautista (Hidalgo ISD), Alejandro De La Garza (Lyford CISD), Diana Garcia (South Texas ISD), and Julio Tobias (Edinburg CISD). The TGC recently selected its second cohort of teachers who will begin the program in January 2014.

The TGC’s goal is to eventually have 300 teachers participating in the program within ten years. Dr. Mary Alice Reyes, Executive Director of TGC said, “We started with nine teachers in the program. With the selection of the second cohort this year, we have increased the number to seventeen, and expect to add a cohort of teachers each year thereafter.”

According to Dr. Arriola, “One teacher in area schools with a graduate degree in mathematics would impact 120 students per year; in ten years that same teacher would impact 1,200 students. One hundred teachers in ten years would impact 120,000 students. But our goal is 300 math teachers in ten years which will have an impact on 360,000 students in the Rio Grande Valley. Now that will transform this whole region—that’s transformative!”

This impact has already been felt in Juan Barrera’s Algebra I classroom at PSJA ISD. Once he raised the Harvard flag in his class and started wearing a Harvard dress shirt his peers began to call him “Harvard” and his students became more confident about learning math.

“The program has allowed my students to visualize the fact that they can attend an Ivy League university,” Barrera said. “ Even though they come from a small town they can expand their knowledge, and they are not limited to what we have to offer here in the RGV -- they can branch out.”

Edinburg CISD, Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez, said the Harvard Math for Teaching degree is an excellent opportunity for the area because of the tremendous shortage of math and science teachers.

“By providing one of our teachers the opportunity to get a master’s degree in mathematics speaks volumes of our district and the Harvard program,” Dr. Gutierrez said.

Texas Graduate Center Empowers Valley Math Teachers Through Ivy League Education

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By Raul Garcia Jr.Latino Education Magazine

When the Medical Innovation Technology Center [MEDITEC] invited students from the South Texas High School for Health Professions, “Med High,” to take a look at their new high-fidelity robot simulators, they didn’t think they were going to get a crash course in reviving the robot once it flatlined in the medical training laboratory.

Med-High’s Ashley Thomas was already certified in CPR but she and her team of Med-High students had never experienced having to instantly resuscitate a “living” robot in an effort to bring it back to life.

MEDITEC is part of Texas Valley Communities Foundation’s initiative to promote career readiness in the medical profession. With the development of the new medical school in South Texas underway, ENCORE is focused on current 2013-14 freshman students because they will be the first class eligible to apply to the medical school in 2017.

Program Director Cindy Garrett RN, BSN said, “As a healthcare professional, I find that this type of educational experience will allow for a higher confidence level in students and will also prepare them for the challenges that they will be facing.”

Aware of this fact, Texas Valley Communities Foundation received a grant to bring four high-fidelity human patient simulators to the Rio Grande Valley to actively prepare students for a career in the medical field.

MEDITEC integrates high-fidelity human patient simulation technology in

a way that incorporates science curriculum, biology, anatomy, and physiology, all in a real world setting. This technology provides a unique opportunity for experimentation and inquiry in the practice of medicine.

The robots, named Hal and Susie, are high fidelity human simulators closely resembling human beings. Students will learn to draw blood, inject medication and practice proper techniques for patient care. These medical simulations will help students learn the normal reactions of a human patient and give students experience that can be applied in real world scenarios.

The use of medical simulation is an ever-growing practice among post-secondary institutions. However, medical simulation has proven to be an extremely effective tool for reinforcing teaching in science classrooms as well. Real world applications allow students to make connections between what is taught in a textbook and how it is applied in the industry. It shows students the relevance of what is being learned daily in their classrooms.

Students will have the opportunity to get certified in careers in medicine with this type of technology. This team travels with the robots throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The robots have various scenario templates and can communicate with students in English or Spanish.

“The simulation is so great because you’re kind of in the hospital setting and you’re going through these scenarios and you actually have to figure out what to do and remembering everything you learned,” Thomas said. “It’s actually really realistic.”

For more information on MEDITEC contact Dann Garcia at 956.903.4231.

MEDITEC -- Students in the Rio Grande Valley engaged in life-like scenarios that health care providers go through with patients.

Human Patient Simulators: Preparing Students for Health Careers

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Celebrating Six Years of ENCORE Bringing Hope and Changing Lives!

www.GetEncore.org

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Brownsville ISDDonna ISD

Edcouch- Elsa ISDEdinburg CISDHarlingen ISDHidalgo ISDLa Feria ISDLa Joya ISDLa Villa ISDLasara ISD

Lyford CISDMcAllen ISD

Mercedes ISDMission CISD

Pharr-San Juan Alamo ISDPoint Isabel ISD

Rio Grande City CISDRoma ISD

San Benito CISDSanta Maria ISDSanta Rosa ISDSharyland ISD

South Texas ISD Weslaco ISD

Partners

For More Information on ENCORE Contact Gilbert Maldonado

Senior Vice PresidentPh: 956-903-4231

Email: [email protected]

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SCAN HEREor go to our website for exclusive footage about the ENCORE program.

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T he ENCORE JOVENES (Jovenes Engaged in Educational Success) program is an initiative of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation in

partnership with the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. Through this initiative, fifty first-generation high school students from Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District and Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District serve as ambassadors for change through service learning. The youth

ambassadors will conduct research on the needs of the community to develop English and Spanish college readiness curriculum for families challenged by educational, cultural and language barriers. Students will facilitate workshops and distribute literature for parents to learn about the college readiness process and access to higher education. The ultimate goal of the JOVENES initiative is to create a culture of post-secondary education as a necessity rather than an option.

ENCORE JOVENES PROGRAM ENABLES STUDENTS TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON COLLEGE READINESS

Students from four Edinburg High Schools met at an ECISD board meeting to receive iPADS and certificates for participating in the JOVENES program. The school district received a $50,000 grant from TVCOF in partnership with State Farm Insurance to operate the JOVENES program.

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ENCORE JOVENES PROGRAM ENABLES STUDENTS TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON COLLEGE READINESS

““

The State Farm Youth Advisory Board is an organization dedicated to empowering youth through service learning. The Edinburg community has a unique opportunity to empower its families through a youth effort towards Hispanic education.

Students from four Edinburg High Schools met at an ECISD board meeting to receive iPADS and certificates for participating in the JOVENES program. The school district received a $50,000 grant from TVCOF in partnership with State Farm Insurance to operate the JOVENES program.

- Hector Garza State Farm National Youth Advisory Board Member

Hector Garza

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Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees was named the 2013 School Board of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) for providing a positive and exemplary learning environment in every school in the district that promotes high academic achievement and college readiness opportunities for all students.

The Texas Valley Communities Foundation hosted a reception for the ECISD school board in celebration of their accomplishment. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa also extended his congratulations.

ECISD Board Member Robert Peña said, “On behalf of the ECISD board we want to say thank you and we sincerely appreciate the opportunity of being with you this evening.”

“Dr. Gutierrez has really set an aggressive agenda and the community has really rallied around it. It’s the administration and our staff that really take the helm and make sure that we reach our destination,” the board member said.

Edinburg CISD Rated Top Texas School Board

ECISD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS: L-R are Dr. Martin Castillo, Carmen Gonzalez and Juan “Sonny” Palacios. Second row L-R are ECISD Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez and Jaime Solis. Backrow L-R are Robert Peña, Jr., David Torres and Jaime R. Chavana.

““

Dr. Gutierrez has really set an aggressive agenda and the community has really rallied around it. It’s the administration and our staff that really take the helm and make sure that we reach our destination.

- Robert Peña Edinburg CISD Board Member

Awarded by the Texas Association of School Administrators

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?Gutierrez: My vision for the Edinburg CISD is two-fold. First, to promote high academic achievement and college-ready opportunities for all of our students. Second, to eliminate the district’s drop-out rate by con-tinuing to work through the district’s Vision Academy of Excellence to recover Edinburg students who have left school without receiving a high school diploma.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?Gutierrez: I am driven by my desire to help students reach their full potential intellectually and become role models for their families and their communities. My passion is to continue to learn on how to become a bet-ter instructional leader so as to assist our students and teachers.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your dis-trict’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?Gutierrez: Budget cuts always affect our students and staff. In Edinburg, our school board and administra-tion always strive to cut in areas that will not affect our students and teachers in the classroom. Consequently, I am proud to say that we accomplished this objective during the state budget cuts two years ago. LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the

recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your district?Gutierrez: House Bill 5 will have a positive impact because high school students will have a flexible gradu-ation plan to select electives and prepare for a career pathway. Furthermore, there will be less state-mandat-ed assessments and more emphasis on course selection by the students.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?Gutierrez: Edinburg CISD’s greatest assets are our students and the dedicated team of educators at every one of our schools. Our team of educators, which in-cludes all teachers and paraprofessionals, is passion-ate about pulling together every day to make academic success for all students a reality. Edinburg CISD’s school boundaries are the largest in the state. We cover 945-square miles and border 15 Val-ley school districts located in four surrounding coun-ties. This unique geographic configuration brings our district a diversity of families with children who enroll in our schools.LATINO ED: Charter schools appear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school dis-

trict, if any?Gutierrez: Edinburg CISD has a reputation of ex-cellence in academics, athletics, and Fine Arts. Whether in the classroom or outside the classroom, our students exemplify “excellence.” Therefore, charter schools do not make much of an impact on our student population.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as superintendent?Gutierrez: When I came to Edinburg, I knew that Ed-inburg CISD took pride in its longstanding “Legacy of Excellence.” In my first few months as superintendent, I introduced several goals to build on the District’s ten decades of excellence in education. Among the goals was the vision to increase graduation rates and re-duce the dropout rate. We met this vision by opening the Vision Academy of Excellence, which focused on preventing fifth year seniors from dropping out and re-covering those who had already dropped out. Since its inception, the Vision Academy has changed the lives of many students. Our district has been able to award over 500 diplomas to high-risk students who had lost faith in education. Many of those students have graduated from high school and enrolled in college, something that at one time may have seemed impossible to the students and their families.

EDINBURG: Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez

See Gutierrezcontinued from page 30

EDINBURG CISD - Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez standing at the central office conference room with district assistant superintendents during a planning session.

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. KING: My vision for PSJA ISD is captured quite concisely in our district logo “College3 (Ready. Connected. Complete). We are working to transform PSJA into a system that successfully prepares every student for post-secondary education. Using dual en-rollment and an Early College approach we want all of our high school students to get a taste of college and have an opportunity to experience success in col-lege courses while still in high school. Our focus has moved from making sure students apply for college to making it much more likely that our students complete college. To be successful in today’s economy, our stu-dents need college degrees (Associate, Bachelor’s and/or post-graduate degrees) and/or industry certifications (preferably through a community college or technical college). Many of our students are already graduating with a college certificate or Associate’s Degree while they are still in high school. This fall more than 2,700 of our high school students are taking one or more college classes. Most of these students will continue working towards even higher educational attainment, after high school. PSJA ISD should be transformative for our students and our community, leading to per-sonal and economic fulfillment and success.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and

drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. KING: I am motivated by student success. See-ing students go on to successful post-education ex-periences and become leaders in the workplace and community is my inspiration. Many former students of mine have become successful in business, or in ca-reers as teachers, school administrators, counselors, doctors, lawyers, nurses, clergy, and so forth. Some have become elected officials (School Board members, City Commissioners, Mayors, etc.) and served in other community leadership roles. I have had the experi-ence of having students who are the children of former students of mine. LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your dis-trict’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?DR. KING: In 2011, we lost approximately $13 mil-lion in state funding. We cut the number of district employees through attrition and cut funding to some programs. This year, we lost several million dollars in federal funding to sequestration, and again we used attrition to reduce employees in some programs.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your district?

DR. KING: In general, I believe HB 5 was a good thing. It reduced the extreme emphasis on high stakes standardized testing. The prior law required 15 high stakes EOC [End Of Course] exams for students to graduate from high school. The new law’s emphasis on career pathways for students falls right in line with PSJA’s “Early College for All” initiative, since we are already working on having all of our students select a college major, develop a preliminary degree plan, and begin their college course work while still in high school. LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. KING: Our school district’s greatest assets are our tremendous students, teachers, parents and the great community support that we have. Our Board of Trustees is very visionary and provides great leader-ship and support.LATINO ED: Charter schools appear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school dis-trict, if any?

PSJA: Superintendent Dr. Daniel KingPharr San Juan Alamo ISD - Superintendent Dr. Daniel King addressing a group of teachers and students.

See KINGcontinued on page 31

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See Montoyacontinued from page 30

LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. MONTOYA: My vision centers on my be-lief that the Brownsville Independent School District will produce well-educated graduates who can pursue higher educational opportunities and who will become responsible citizens in a changing global society by utilizing all resources to provide equitable opportuni-ties for students. My vision also centers on my belief that all children will be taught, will learn, and will per-form at or above their academic levels in all core sub-ject areas, and the District will provide a high qual-ity curriculum and instructional program to facilitate children reaching their full potential.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. MONTOYA: My strong belief that all chil-dren will be taught, will learn, and will perform at or above their academic levels in all core subject areas, and my commitment to ensure that the District will provide a high quality curriculum and instructional program to facilitate children reaching their full po-tential is what drives me every day.

LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your district’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?DR. MONTOYA: There have been several reduc-tions at the state level that have adversely impacted all districts in my state. Through creative zero based budgeting and employee early resignation incentives, my district was able to effectively absorb state cuts.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your district?DR. MONTOYA: I whole-heartedly support the re-cent changes to improve high school graduation op-portunities for our districts in this state. By narrowing/reducing the number of EOCs required for graduation, the state showed how they have their finger on the pulse of our communities. By expanding/promoting CTE certifications, the state also showed how they are listening to the business community regarding the need for a more educated/prepared workforce. My district has been on the forefront of these changes and will continue to support the advancement of our stu-dents throughout our district and the state.

LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. MONTOYA: Our district believes whole-hearted-ly that the success of each student, teacher, staff mem-ber, administrator and family is essential for the success of the entire school district community. We are very fortunate that our district is supported by a community and families who share the responsibility for the devel-opment and mentoring of our students and who believe that our are the number one resource for our future.LATINO ED: Charter Schools appear to be spread-ing throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school district, if any?DR. MONTOYA: Due to highly flexible state controls, charter schools have had an adverse impact on our dis-trict. While they are allowed to receive public dollars, they enjoy several “private school perks” of cherry pick-ing their students.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as superintendent?

BROWNSVILLE: Superintendent Dr. Carl Montoya

BROWNSVILLE ISD -- Superintendent Dr. Carl Montoya at the Rivera High School graduation handing out diplomas to graduates.

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HARLINGEN : Superintendent Dr. Arturo CavazosLATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. CAVAZOS: Our vision for excellence begins with our outstanding Board of Trustees as we work for Harlingen CISD to remain a system of world-class schools where students develop the means for college and career success in the 21st century and are able to compete globally. LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. CAVAZOS: Our drive is our students. They guide the work we do each day and remain the core focus of our district’s mission to provide educational excellence for all students while cultivating college and career readiness and opportunities to create a meaningful and successful life. LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your dis-trict’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?DR. CAVAZOS: While there has been a decrease in the funding of public education in Texas, we take pride that our district and Board of Trustees remain fiscally responsible while promoting the best interests of our students and their futures. Our budget reflects our district’s fortunate financial position as we have been able to consistently provide our teachers, administrators and staff with competitive salaries, while remaining prudent of our taxpayers’ dollars.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-

ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your district?DR. CAVAZOS: The recent changes to public education benefit students across the Rio Grande Valley and Texas by giving them an opportunity to gain early experience in career and technology pathways. It’s a vision shared by our district as we have recently opened our Dr. Abraham P. Cano Freshman Academy, which allows our students to select one of five pathways as an area of study, much like a college or university. Our pathways align with the five endorsements that were re-cently set by our Texas Legislature, and their mission to emphasize college and career readiness. Our district is currently transforming to reflect the way our students learn as our society functions in a global-ized economy. These developments solidify our trans-formation by reflecting not only the changes in our re-gion, but the direction of public education in Texas. LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. CAVAZOS: Our students are our greatest assets, and we understand that each of them possess individualized learning needs. Our district believes in providing our parents and students with choices in their pursuit of a quality education, and that HCISD contin-ues to meet the demands of both our students and a changing society. As we continue with our district’s transformation, our options for educational advancement will continue to

grow. Our Dr. Abraham P. Cano Freshman Academy, School of Health Professions, Leader in Me Academy, Dual Language Academies and Digital Classroom ini-tiative offer students the opportunity to find their pas-sion while nurturing college and career readiness in the 21st century. These educational options accompany our open enrollment policy at our elementary and middle schools, which permits parents to choose what campus their child attends. Our increasing choices will contin-ue to remain a factor in why our parents and students choose to enroll in the great schools at HCISD.LATINO ED: Charter schools appear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school dis-trict, if any?DR. CAVAZOS: Charter schools, along with our district’s growing academic and extracurricular pro-grams, provide our parents and students with choices.As we’ve seen a recent growth of the number of charter schools in the Rio Grande Valley, we identify the need to provide these choices to our parents and communi-ty. We will continue to develop and offer our parents and students options that meet their individual needs while advocating for the advancement of public educa-tion. When given a choice our parents and community will choose the outstanding schools and programs at HCISD.

HARLINGEN CISD - Superintendent Dr. Arturo Cavazos with district students.

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. ALEJANDRO: My vision for my school dis-trict is that I want to empower all students to be 21st Century Learners. That might seem like rhetoric given that everyone appears to be saying the same thing. The only difference with us is that we have implemented a culture where every single employee is a stakeholder in our students’ education. This will help us address the “Whole Child” and will make every student come to school ready to learn. The Whole Child approach takes into account the socio-emotional part of a child as well as their academic potential. Our goal is that every single child that comes through Weslaco ISD will be a success for their entire life until the day they decide to retire.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. ALEJANDRO: My sole purpose in my job is to create our future leaders who will change the world and make it a better place. I like to empower students and staff to make decisions that are going to help them excel. I see the potential in students and staff and my passion is to help them recognize and build those skills. I like to visit classrooms as often as I can and

interact with students. Find out what they are doing, what they are learning, why it is important and how they like being able to use their smart phones or other digital devices in their lessons. When students are en-gaged and learning, you can actually see their young minds working and there is nothing more inspirational or motivating than that. I am just passionate about helping to make students 21st Century Learners. This is what motivates me to come to work every day, seven days a week.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your district’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?DR. ALEJANDRO: There have been several cuts and certain requirements that have had a major impact on our District. It started in the 82nd Legislative Ses-sion in which we were cut 5.7 million dollars. Payroll being a major portion of our budget, a hiring freeze was implemented to make up the loss.Recently, sequestration has cut an additional 1 million dollars from our Title I budget. Both of these cuts have forced us to reduce or eliminate several programs that were needed to assist our struggling students making their success much more difficult. Also, the required 20 percent of Title I funds for SES providers was caus-

ing further restrictions on our ability to provide quality programs for our struggling students. Nevertheless, we realize that all staff are critical factors in our stu-dents’ success and therefore, in spite of the cuts, we were still able to give our staff a healthy raise.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your district?DR. ALEJANDRO: HB5 has allowed a temporary solution to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate and was implemented without a clear understanding of the barriers that NCLB eventually reached. My staff and I have been meeting and reviewing the require-ments of HB5 and have been integrating them into our instructional program. This approach has minimized the impact on the District. A team of central office directors ensure that information is trickled down to the campuses. During changes such as HB5 the key is understanding the changes and communicating those changes to the stakeholders. Staff includes all central office administration as well as all campus administra-tors, teachers and support staff.

See ALEJANDROcontinued on page 30

WESLACO: Superintendent Dr. Ruben Alejandro

WESLACO ISD -- Superintendent Dr. Ruben Alejandro working with students learning computer skills and technology in the classroom.

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. BENAVIDES: My vision for La Joya ISD is that it continues to excel so that we can retain the reputation that we have of being a progressive District and ensuring that every staff member performs at an optimum level so that we may improve the quality of services to our 29,000 plus students. Additionally, my goals are that every student becomes a successful read-er, that we bring every dropout back to school and that we graduate all our students college and career ready.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. BENAVIDES: My drive and motivation is to constantly be reflecting and improving what we are doing to service our students and that we reflect to see what else can be done. The challenges that we face as a district, high numbers of low socio-economic stu-dents, high mobility of families plus high numbers of English Language Learners is what motivates me; I know that we can get our schools and our students to be just as competitive as any other school or student.Leadership has and continues to be the thing I am most passionate about. It’s building capacity for our princi-pals so that they can be the best instructional leaders that they can be plus allowing other potential leaders the opportunity to grow into a leadership position. We presently have two academies, the Future Lead-ers Academy made up of one teacher per campus that aspires to be a leader. The other academy is the New Principals’ Academy to assist new principals in their

new roles as instructional leaders.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your district’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?DR. BENAVIDES: Because we have an excellent Business Office, the cuts in state funding have helped us in being creative in our budget planning so that we do not hurt instruction. With this as a primary goal, we continue to provide the resources needed to get the job done.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley? DR. BENAVIDES: One of the greatest impacts to our District will be the challenges to ensure that all our students get the one-to-one counseling necessary for them to get the correct advisement for all the endorse-ments that will be required. Additionally, our Career and Technical Education Program will be impacted due to all the endorsements and the learning paths un-der each endorsement. It calls for us to re-evaluate our counseling services and our Career and Technical Edu-cation Program and find ways to improve these ser-vices for our students. LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley? DR. BENAVIDES: Our greatest asset as a Dis-trict is our staff. La Joya ISD has an excellent group

of committed and dedicated individuals that work dili-gently every day to service our students. We could not be successful if it wasn’t for our staff from the main-tenance, cafeteria or transportation staff to the clerical and professional staff. Our people are our greatest as-set.The uniqueness of our District is our children. Many come from very humble beginnings and have to over-come great challenges and barriers in order to stay in school. However, our kids do not see these obstacles as a hindrance; they are just as committed and dedicated as any other children across the State of Texas. LATINO ED: Charter Schools appear to be spreading throughout the region. What im-pact are these schools having on your school district, if any?DR. BENAVIDES: Charter schools have impact-ed our District. Many of our students and their parents have chosen to attend our neighboring charter schools. However, we use this data to evaluate how we can im-prove our schools so we become the school of choice for all students. Increasing our opportunities for our students and ensuring that we prepare our students ad-equately will help our students in our schools.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as superintendent? DR. BENAVIDES: The accomplishments as a Superintendent have been many, among the top accom-plishments are the following:

See BENAVIDEScontinued on page 31

La Joya ISD - Superintendent Dr. Alda Benavides at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

La Joya : Superintendent Dr. Alda Benavides

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La Joya : Superintendent Dr. Alda Benavides

LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. TREVINO: My vision for the school district is to continue to deliver a quality education in the 21st Century. Our goals also include that all graduates from Mercedes Schools are college ready or obtain a license – medical assistant, cosmetology, welder, or computer technologist – or certificate. Mercedes Schools have caring teachers and the district will continue to serve all populations.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. TREVINO: My motivation is driven by suc-cess. The inspiration that I hold is seeing children that did not have a chance in our society – for whatever reason – become independent of others. There is no

better feeling as an educator than being thanked by a graduating senior. To me, motivation is about the stu-dents that we have molded into committed adults. That is what drives me as an educational leader. My passion is leading this district during these demanding times. Michael Fullan, the great change agent, discussed organizational change and relationships that make a difference. I share those passions in the district. I con-tinue to be a life – long learner with all stakeholders in mind when it comes to change versus outcomes.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legislature in the form of House Bill 5 and what impact will these changes have in your district?DR. TREVINO: The most recent Texas Legisla-tive Session had many changes that influenced Texas

public schools. One piece of legislation that had a tre-mendous impact was House Bill 5 (HB5). The com-ponents of HB5 effect not only degree plans, but also state assessment requirements. With the new legislation, students have to take less core area classes during their high school years. That process will enable students that are geared towards a post – secondary education to focus on the disciplined areas at hand. Those students that have a career path-way will receive more training and focus on those sub-jects. Secondly, HB5 reduces the number of assess-ments that a student must take during the four years of high school.

MERCEDES : Superintendent Dr. Daniel Trevino

See TREVINOcontinued on page 29

MERCEDES ISD -- Superintendent Dr. Daniel Trevino with students from the district’s new school, North Elementary.

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?DR. RICHTER: My vision for Sharyland ISD is to offer all students a quality, challenging education as well as the ability to participate in many extracurricular activities for a well-rounded education.In Sharyland ISD, we strive for “small town customer service” but with “big city” efficiency. Our students are our most important resource and the “core value” of every decision we make.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?DR. RICHTER: What inspires, motivates, and drives me is the opportunity to positively affect the lives of students in my home community. The ability to shape the lives and grow the future leaders of my own community, region, state, and country is the best motivator in the world!I am most passionate about providing all community members with the best possible customer service so they will feel they can come to the schools and district offices at any time and be welcomed and heard. Because after all, it takes an entire community to educate a child, and we must all work together in order to be successful.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your

district’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?DR. RICHTER: Yes, in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 biennium there was a cut in state funding. As a result, Sharyland ISD was forced to cut some instructional programs as well as instructional and community aide positions district wide. Several other key positions were also cut.The impact that these cuts had on our district is that the district continues to make up some of the loss even though the state increased our funding for this 2013-2015 biennium. The effect of the state budget cuts requires our district to find alternative budget allocations to offer instructional programs required by law.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. RICHTER: The recent changes to HB5 by the Texas Legislature were numerous and will affect districts, and ultimately students, for the most part in positive ways.The reduction in the number of EOC [End of Course] exams for our high school students is definitely a

plus! And, I feel that the move to one graduation plan is also much simpler for parents to understand. I also feel that having the endorsements will give students the opportunity to explore classes in different careers so they can find out if they are actually interested in a certain field. We are a larger district so we will have the capacity and ability to offer all of the endorsements.I also feel that having the Distinguished Achievement and Performance Acknowledgment portions of the Foundation HSP [High School Program] are a plus for a majority of students who will be attending college for a bachelor’s or master’s degree after high school.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. RICHTER: In my opinion, Sharyland ISD’s greatest asset is its winning tradition of both academics and extracurricular activities offered to all students.What sets us apart from other districts in the Rio Grande Valley is that all staff members enforce the very strict student code of conduct. Our students are expected to behave in a manner that will help them succeed in life.

Sharyland : Superintendent Dr. Virginia RichterSHARYLAND ISD - Superintendent Dr. Virginia Richter with students from the district enjoying the afternoon together.

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?GUERRA: We are a dynamic Professional Learn-ing Community committed to every student learning at high levels. This is who we are. We are building a collaborative, results-oriented culture with a relent-less focus on student learning. Our commitment to build the collective capacity of educators to function as highly effective team members of a PLC is our driv-ing force. Our big goal is to graduate every student college and career ready.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?GUERRA: What inspires me is having the opportu-nity to positively impact every student in our district. We are here to create a safe and nurturing learning environment for our students and for our employees. We are committed to provide multiple pathways for our students to choose as we prepare them for post-secondary education.

What I am most passionate about is creating systems for building leaders. Our leaders are teachers and our teachers are leaders. It is our intention to build a team of highly effective teachers.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your district’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?GUERRA: There were cuts to our district a couple of years ago. As a district, our school board did not cut student services, student programs, employees, and employee benefits. Our district has been financially stable and has been very prudent in handling taxpayer money.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your districtGUERRA: We are in support of having accountabil-ity systems in education. We are in support of reduc-tion of end of course exams. We are also in support of

the pathways that our students have in going through their high school preparation. Our focus is creating structures that provide students with purposeful and relevant learning opportunities.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?GUERRA: Our district’s greatest assets are our peo-ple. School improvement is about people improve-ment. We have great kids, we have committed teach-ers, we have learning leaders, supportive parents, a dedicated support staff and a school board committed to student learning. Our purpose is clear.LATINO ED: Charter Schools appear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school district, if any?

ROMA ISD : Superintendent Jesus Guerra

ROMA ISD - Superintendent Jesus Guerra at a school board meeting pictured with the high school student council and school board members.

See GUERRAcontinued on page 30

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LATINO ED: What is your vision for your school district?Infante: We see students that are technology literate, ethically responsible, risk-taking leaders, self-directed learners, and critical thinkers. Our vision for the dis-trict includes supportive leaders that promote continu-ous improvement, are people of integrity and demon-strate openness to innovation and creativity. We want classrooms that utilize technology, are engaging and promote critical thinking. We are a caring, people-oriented educational family committed to graduating well rounded, well educated, responsible and produc-tive students.LATINO ED: What inspires, motivates, and drives you? What are you most passionate about?Infante: I am a person of faith. My belief that we are ultimately doing what we do for the glory of God com-pels me to a commitment to excellence. I am driven by the belief that educators have a moral obligation to do all we can to train and prepare our children for their future. I am very passionate about sharing my vision for children with our leaders here in Lyford CISD.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your dis-trict’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are these cuts having on your district?

Infante: The recent cuts obviously made us re-think our budgets. We had to prioritize our needs, we looked at cutting non-essentials. Unfortunately, we did cut some positions. I believe that we did a good job of minimizing the effects of the cuts on instruction. We made every attempt to keep the instructional program strong in spite of the fact that we had to tighten our belts. But, make no mistake; the cuts were made in the midst of increased accountability and rigor. We need greater resources in order to do the job we need to do.LATINO ED: What is your perspective on the recent changes enacted by the Texas Legisla-ture in the form of House Bill 5 and what im-pact will these changes have in your district?Infante: House Bill 5 is an improvement on the previ-ous accountability bill that called for too much testing and too much weight on the tests. Although many of the rules for HB5 are still being developed, we know that this new bill calls for fewer tests and more flexibili-ty in upper level courses. Flexibility in course offerings will help us. Although there are questions about the CTE endorsements that the bill calls for, the endorse-ments will provide students opportunities to graduate career ready. Students will be prepared to directly enter into a career upon graduation from high school. Dis-tricts that have well developed CTE programs have an advantage over smaller districts that typically do not

have more than one or two well developed CTE career pathways. In our case, we have been able to develop our CTE program to the point where we currently offer seven CTE pathways. This new bill has impacted our planning. We are aligning our resources and planning in attempts to better prepare our students for college entrance exams.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from others in the Rio Grande Valley?Infante: Our greatest asset is that although we are a small district we are providing our students with op-portunities that other small districts may not yet be doing. For example, we are a STEM District, our high school and middle schools are designated as STEM schools by TEA, and we are providing our students opportunities to learn about the STEM fields. Our students will be involved in robotics competition and solar car competition and will have the opportunity to study in the STEM Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway. We are also providing our elementary students with STEM opportunities with a curriculum specifically for elementary students.

LYFORD : Superintendent Eduardo Infante

See INFANTEcontinued on page 31

LYFORD ISD - Superintendent Eduardo Infante pictured with students in the school library.

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That number changed from fifteen to five. I believe that in some instances, marginal teachers may become less accountable for their instruc-tional measures because of the untested areas. This behavior will have to be heavily moni-tored by the site administrators. However, if ana-lyzed according-ly, the student will be under less stress and more focused on direct instruction.LATINO ED: Have there been cuts to your district’s state funding in recent years? If so, what impact are theses cuts having on your district?DR. TREVINO: In 2011, MISD lost about $2.0 million in state funding. That was due to the landmark state budget cuts of that legislative session. Here recently, the USDE [U.S. Department of Educa-tion]has cut about fifteen percent of fed-eral dollars from the planning amounts. Public school finance will always have an influence on public schools in Texas, and MISD is not immune to that principle. Through the years, the Weighted Aver-age Daily Attendance (WADA) formula used for funding public schools in Texas – has perhaps suffered some inequities. Student populations continue to grow in our district, but weighted dollars per stu-dent have remained the same for several years. MISD has adapted to budget cuts

and fiduciary situations. The district con-tinues to deliver a quality education and the classroom numbers are compliant to state standards.LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from oth-ers in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. TREVINO: The greatest asset of MISD is that the district prides in deliv-ering a quality education to all popula-tions. MISD also has some of the highest graduation rates of students that complete their high school programs with associ-ates degrees or college credit hours. The MISD culture continues to strive even with the district’s challenging demo-graphics – high population of economic disadvantaged students, high bilingual populations, and a sluggish economic environment. Even, with all those chal-lenges, Mercedes ISD serves to remain a top district in the Valley. The district continues to serve an attraction to many families across the area. MISD does not have an open – enrollment policy, but some families drive from as far as Mis-sion & Harlingen to bring their children to our schools. Because of that, MISD is one of the very few districts in the Rio Grande Valley still experiencing a student popula-tion growth. Our philosophy will remain that we will educate all populations and offer a 21st Century Education.LATINO ED: Charter schools appear to be spreading throughout the re-gion. What impact are those schools having on your school district, if any?DR. TREVINO: Charter schools were implemented to give parents school choice. Those institutions tremendously

hinder public schools in Texas. Most pub-lic schools in the state are extremely suc-cessful; very few are identified as failing. However, the state has approved charter schools, so that parents may choose to enroll their children elsewhere. Like any other public school in Texas, Mercedes Schools are competing with local charter schools. Whenever public school students leave to a charter, those students take their funding with them, hence influenc-ing local school funding. MISD will at-tract students from across the region, and the district successfully retains most of its student population.LATINO ED: What would you con-sider to be your greatest accom-plishment as a superintendent?DR. TREVINO: I have successfully served as the Mercedes ISD Superinten-dent for about four years. Prior to my ar-rival on August 2010, MISD had six su-perintendents within a six year period. I hold my tenure as a huge success. I am a graduate of Mercedes High School, and hold a doctorate from the Texas A&M System, which I also consider a tremen-dous accomplishment. It is great to be a product of the organization I presently lead. Another prestigious accomplish-ment that I hold very close is having been selected to the Harvard Superintendent’s Academy. Every year, Harvard selects fifty school superintendents from across the country, and in the Spring of 2013, I was selected to enter into that academy. It was a great honor to represent Mercedes ISD in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the capacity as the district’s superintendent. One of my most recent accomplishments also included having been nominated for the Region One Superintendent of the

Year Award. In four years I have been here, the district has endured many suc-cesses, and I hope that we continue to strive towards that excellence.LATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as a superintendent?DR. TREVINO: There are many chal-lenges and worries in the superinten-dency. The title of my dissertation was A Mixed – Methods Analysis of Current Challenges of The Public School Super-intendency In South Texas. The study encompassed many obstacles – worries – in the position. Having been in the business this long, I certainly agree that the position is a huge responsibility. The funding sources are depleting every year, and it is becoming more difficult to oper-ate the district as well as to keep the bud-gets balanced. The unfunded mandates are increasing every year and MISD handles those obstacles as efficiently as possible. The most critical issue, how-ever, that keeps me worried as a super-intendent is the safety and security of the students and staff of our district. We live in an area that is close to the border and at times, violence crosses into our schools. MISD Administration constant-ly monitors all our buildings, but no one really knows what will happen next or when a violent incident will take place. I oversee 1,000 employees, about 6,000 students, and 42 buses. We know that anything can happen at any given time. The district prepares often and the Cri-sis Management Teams are on call regu-larly, but nobody knows where or when the emergency will take place. I struggle with this every day. I leave everything in the Lord’s hands and pursue my leader-ship with great humility.

TREVINOcontinued from page 25

Dr. Trevino

LYFORD : Superintendent Eduardo Infante

Meditec Mobile Unit Now Serving Area Schools

The Medical Innovation Technology Mobile Unit is now available to provide curriculum and programs for Valley high school students to obtain a certification in Career & Technology Education courses. MEDITEC will provide programs such as Patient Care Technician for Valley Students, thus allowing students to be graduate ready for workforce and life. For more information on this program please contact: Dann Garcia Senior Vice-President for ENCORE, at 956-903-4231, Email: [email protected]

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GUERRA: They are getting closer to our area. We believe that we learn best from each other. Our district is building “constant learners” and we would want to learn best practices from these schools. It will only make our district stronger.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplish-ment as superintendent?GUERRA: Playing a role in the culture transformation of our district:• From a focus on teaching to a focus on learning.• From coverage of content to demon-stration of proficiency

• From isolation to collaboration• From exter-nally training to job embedded learningLATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as a superinten-dent?GUERRA: It is always the safety and well-being of our students and staff. Next, it is to constantly keep the level of student engagement filled with anticipation, curiosity, and creativity throughout our system.

GUTIERREZcontinued from page 19LATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as a superintendent?Gutierrez: With a district as big and spread out as Edinburg CISD, the school board and administration worry about the safety and security of all our students and staff at our 43 school campuses. We know that safety in school is on the minds of all parents and staff every day. For that reason, we have invested manpower and resources to maintain a safe school environment for our students and staff. Our district’s Com-prehensive School Safety Initiative is the result of collaborative efforts between the school board, administration, principals, and the Superintendent’s Parent Round-table. The initiative puts a police officer in every elementary campus and a team

of officers in every secondary campus. Ed-inburg CISD is the only district in the Valley to have a SWAT r e s p o n s e team that can respond to a call for help at any one of our schools within a mat-ter of min-utes. The addition of state-of-the-art tech-nology and information systems at our older schools and the construction of our newer schools with safety in mind helps our district to address safety and security. It is an issue that needs to be addressed be-fore and not after an incident occurs.

Dr. Gutierrez

Mr. Guerra

GUERRAcontinued from page 27

DR. MONTOYA: I have successfully overseen the academic tran-sition of TAKS to STAAR/EOC while also en-suring that my district met AYP standards.LATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as a super inten-dent?DR. MONTOYA: In the wake of school tragedies brought on by unknown assas-sins, school safety has eclipsed all others on my list of constant worries. Being pre-pared, vigilant, and proactive are our only weapons in this fight.

MONTOYAcontinued from page 21

Dr. Montoya

LATINO ED: What, in your opinion, are your school district’s greatest assets? What is unique about your district that sets it apart from oth-ers in the Rio Grande Valley?DR. ALEJANDRO: Our greatest asset is our students. I started as superintendent in June 2012 and immediately met with staff to develop a vision for the district. Our vi-sion, Empowering 21st Century Learners, was radical in the sense that it was imple-mented district wide for all 18,000 stu-dents and all 2,400 staff members (includ-ing maintenance, food service, security, custodial, energy management, transpor-tation, instructional staff, and every single employee in the district). Everyone em-braced the challenge and using the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) approach be-gan maximizing learning through the use of digital devices. District wide, we have created a culture of anytime/anywhere 24/7 learners. Our District was so suc-

cessful, that we scored in the upper quar-tile of the state rankings. Research shows that when a new initia-tive is imple-mented there is a learning curve, but in our District we defied the norm and s u c c e e d e d the very first year of our new initia-tive and that is what sets us apart from all other Dis-tricts in the Rio Grande Valley, the state and the nation.LATINO ED: Charter schools ap-pear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school dis-trict, if any?DR. ALEJANDRO: Charter schools are having an impact on our schools by recruiting our students to their schools.

ALEJANDROcontinued from page 23

Many of these students do not all stay in the Charter Schools but end up returning to our District. These are usually strug-gling students that need additional help. In spite of these additional obstacles, we continue to provide the very best quality education to all our students.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplish-ment as superintendent?DR. ALEJANDRO: My greatest accom-plishment as a superintendent and trans-formational leader is that I have been able to gain the trust and faith of not only the school community but the community of Weslaco to launch our vision. I have been able to influence the city that they are an integral stakeholder in the education of our citizens. The bond is so strong that we have established a 21st Century Com-munity Partnership with our city. One is-sue that we are currently undertaking is truancy. I formed a district committee and invited city and county officials to collab-orate with us in this effort. Both parties understand the significance of working together to save our children and provide

them with a quality education. If a stu-dent is not in school, he cannot learn. If he cannot learn, he cannot prepare for his future. If they do not prepare for their future, society is faced with the task of providing for this social group. Another community project is our 0-3 Weslaco Reads Project. We are working with the CEO of our local hospital, Day Cares, Head Starts the public library to initiate a digital e-book program where students are exposed to reading before birth to the age of 3 years old. This will get them ready to learn by the time they become school age. I have been able to get students and staff in our district to help me accomplish my goal of ensuring that each student in our district is highly successful for their entire lives until the day they decide to retire.LATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as superintendent?DR. ALEJANDRO: My biggest worry is to lose one child. At Weslaco ISD, all students count. I hold myself responsible and every stakeholder responsible for the success of every single student enrolled at Weslaco ISD.

Dr. Alejandro

SCAN HEREto read more about Dr. Montoyaonline onourwebsite.

PASOS

PARENT ACADEMY FOR SUCCES OF SCHOOLS

ENCORE PASOS The program offers the following courses for parents and family members:

● Creating a Positive Learning Environment at Home● Financial Literacy● Raising a Top Ten Student● Financial Aid: Ways To Pay For College● Building A Strong Parent- Teacher Relationship● A Parents Guide To Positive Behavior Managements● Update on House Bill Five 5 New High School Graduation Plans

Sessions are held in Spanish and English at campuses throughout The Valley.

FALL 2013 // 31


LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplish-ment as Interim Superintendent? DR. CAVAZOS: Working as a mem-ber of administration for more than ten years, the biggest accomplishment has been seeing our efforts to trans-form our district come to a successful reality. We’ve anticipated change, and

have created initiatives to address those developments for the ben-efit of our students. With this transfor-mation, the next logical step we’ve launched is a strategic plan-

ning process, which will help guide our work for the next three to five years. As we see further transformation, achieve-ments will continue to take place, and there is only a bright future ahead for HCISD. LATINO ED: What are your big-gest worries as a superintendent?As a district, our primary concern is keeping our students prepared for their futures in a changing society. The way we work, learn and collaborate with one another in real life situations changes every day. It is up to us as ad-ministrators and educators to adapt to those changes and develop rich learn-ing opportunities that will prepare our students for future success.

DR. KING: Today, we live in an age of choice in public education. Parents and students have a variety of options to select from including Open Enrollment Public Schools, Liberal District and Campus Transfer Policies, and Charter Schools. Our goal is to provide the best education possible to the 32,000 stu-dents who have selected PSJA ISD for their education.

I am fortunate to have the opportu-nity to work with an incredible team of Board members, administrators, teach-ers and support staff to develop innova-tive solutions to some of the challenges that face our nation. PSJA’s ground breaking work in dramatically reducing high school dropouts, our “Early Col-

lege for All” i n i t i a t i ve , and our dual l a n g u a g e a p p r o a c h to devel-oping true bi- l i teracy have pro-duced great opportuni-ties for our students and have had an impact beyond PSJA result-ing in state policy and legislative chang-es, replication in other districts across Texas and the nation, and have been the inspiration for national television features, and magazine and newspaper article, research reports, and policy and best practice “White Papers.”

Infante: The charter schools have had only a small impact on us due to the fact that most char-ter schools have been placed in more popu-lated areas of the Valley. We are providing a quality educa-tional program in a small rural school setting. Our programs, education-al climate, and people are second to none. All this being the case, the majority of our students stay and graduate from Lyford

If they choose not to, they face the consequences in our student code of conduct. Because everyone is consistent in following the student code of conduct, our students know what is expected of them and their behavior allows quality teaching to take place in the classrooms.L A T I N O ED: Charter Schools appear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school district, if any?

CAVAZOScontinued from page 22

Dr. Cavazos

INFANTEcontinued from page 28

Mr. Infante

We are also the first small district in the Valley to implement a 1 to 1 technology initiative throughout the entire district, K-12. Our initiative, Teaching and Learn-ing in the 21st Century (TL 21) will pro-vide our students and teachers with op-portunities to teach and learn 21st century skills. The 4C’s, critical thinking, com-munication, collaboration, and creativity will be skills that our students will learn. LATINO ED: Charter schools ap-pear to be spreading throughout the region. What impact are these schools having on your school dis-trict, if any?

High School.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplish-ment as superintendent?Infante: I have a recurring greatest ac-complishment, every graduation night my heart swells up with joy. Our greatest ac-complishment is preparing young people for their future. Through education we have the power to change lives, make a difference, and give our students hopes and dreams that they are able to pursue.LATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as a superintendent?Infante: My biggest concerns are, are we doing enough, are we doing it right, are we passionate enough, and can we do more?

Teaching Site in our District to make col-lege a reality for our students and the entire c o m m u n i t y and increasing our dual enroll-ment numbers at each of high schools.LATINO ED: What are your biggest worries as superintendent?DR. BENAVIDES: My biggest worry as a superintendent is to ensure all our students and staff are safe and that our students who leave our District are not well prepared to be successful in life.

KINGcontinued from page 20

Dr. King

BENAVIDEScontinued from page 24

Dr. Benavides

• Dividing our District from one power-house 5A high school into three compre-hensive 5A high schools• Establishing the College and Career Center which has helped over 1,000 stu-dents who had dropped out graduate from high school; established August and De-cember graduations.• Becoming a “Recognized” District dur-ing the 2010 - 2011 school year.• Renovating and restoring Nellie Sc-hunior High School a historical landmark into a Central Administration to serve as a new central office.• Perhaps most important is creating a college going culture for this community by establishing a strong partnership with South Texas College and establishing a

Dr. Richter

RICHTERcontinued from page 26

DR. RICHTER: Charter schools have a special purpose for some students. Stu-dents who do not wish to participate in extracurricular activities may want to at-tend Charter Schools. Because Sharyland ISD offers a wide range of extracurricu-lar activities, as well as quality academic programs, Charter Schools do not have an impact on our school district.LATINO ED: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as superintendent?DR. RICHTER: My goal as Superinten-dent of Sharyland ISD is to continue to offer the elite academic programs while meeting the unique needs of our commu-nity. We cannot educate the students of Sharyland ISD without establishing part-nerships with our parents. We continue to strive for an ever-evolving educational continuum that exceeds the standards and expectations of a world class educational institution.LATINO ED: What are your biggest

worries as a superintendent?DR. RICHTER: In Sharyland ISD, our priority is student safety. My biggest wor-ry is student suicide. Parents send their children off each morning entrusting their children to the teachers on their respec-tive campuses. We diligently try to instill lifelong skills which will allow students to cope with the day-to-day challenges. But, this is never a guarantee.

SCAN HEREto read more about Dr. Richteronline onour website.

// FALL 201332


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