Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District is a public school district based in Pharr, Texas (USA) in the Rio Grande Valley.

The district serves Pharr, San Juan, and Alamo as well as a small portion of McAllen. PSJA ISD's total student enrollment for 2010 was 31,329 according to the Texas Education Agency's website. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.[1] PSJA ISD's current superintendent is Dr. Daniel King.

History

On March 15, 1919 Common School District No. 4 in Hidalgo County became Pharr-San Juan Independent School District. Forty years later in 1959, Alamo merged with the district, establishing what is now known as the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, a district that caters to over 31,000 students in the tri-city area.

Student Information

PSJA ISD houses students from three different cities, who come from similar backgrounds and way of life. The student body at PSJA ISD is 98.97% Hispanic, 85.37% economically disadvantaged and 73.16% at risk. With the district’s proximity to Mexico, 41.36% of the students are considered Limited English Proficient (LEP) with Spanish being the language spoken at home.

Despite those figures, PSJA ISD has maintained a culture of pride and excellence. Known for its “children first” environment it has actively taken those challenges and has helped motivate students to pursue an education beyond high school.

TEA Academic Status

For the 2009-2010 school year the Texas Education Agency designated 11 PSJA campuses with an "Exemplary" status and 19 as "Recognized," and the district was also designated as a "Recognized" School District.[2]

PSJA ISD believes all children can learn and within that motto it is focused on performance by having highly qualified teaching staff, effective research-based curriculum, plus state-of-the art technology to meet all instructional needs.

Recent History

PBS NewsHour showcased PSJA ISD nationally in a two-part series featuring the district’s dropout recovery program success and early college high school work (July 2012).[3]

PSJA ISD has increased the number of yearly graduates by almost 100% from 966 in 2006-07 to over 1,900 in 2011-2012.

The district’s comprehensive, innovative approach and proven results have garnered the attention of the New York Times[4] and other national publications.[5] Top officials from the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas Education Agency, as well as local, state, and national elected officials have highlighted PSJA ISD for finding solutions to the dropout crisis and preparing students to be college ready.

PSJA has been identified as a national model for putting dropouts “Back on Track to College” by Jobs for the Future (JFF) out of Boston, MA. JFF is working to expand key components of the model to other states across the country. They also released a report in March 2012 featuring PSJA’s College3 initiative and “College for All” strategy.[6]

On January 24, 2011, former PSJA superintendent Arturo Guajardo and board members Rogelio "Little Roy" Rodriguez, Rogelio "Big Roy" Navarro, and Evangelina "Vangie" De Leon pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation, fines, and prison terms. Also, Arnulfo "Arnie" Olivarez (former insurance agent) and George Hernandez (former Donna ISD board president) pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation, fines, and prison term for their role in the bribery and extortion scandal involving PSJA ISD's finances.[7]


On June 6, 2007, The Dallas Morning News reported that Arturo Guajardo, the superintendent of PSJA ISD, and board members Raul Navarro, Evangelina De Leon, and Rogelio Rodriguez, were indicted on corruption charges. .

Schools

High Schools (Grades 9-12)

Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)

Elementary Schools (Grades PK-5)

References

  1. ↑ "2009 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency.
  2. ↑ http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/cgi/sas/broker?_service=marykay&_program=perfrept.perfmast.sas&prgopt=2010/acct/disttabl2.sas&ptype=H&year4=2010&search=distback&year2=10&topic=acct&gifname=g_datatable2010district&title=Accountability%20Data%20Table&level=District&distback=108909
  3. ↑ http://learningmatters.tv/blog/on-pbs-newshour/watch-early-college-hs-in-south-texas/10190/
  4. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/us/24ttking.html?pagewanted=all
  5. ↑ http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/06/07/34college.h31.html?INTC=EW-DC12-TOC
  6. ↑ http://www.jff.org/media/news-releases/2012/one-texas-school-districts-vision-all-st/1406
  7. ↑ "PSJA Bribery Scandal". The Monitor, January 24, 2011, "More than 3 years later, sentences ranging from probation to prison time for players in PSJA school bribery scandal".

External links

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