McAllen School Board Named Best in Region for 2011-12

In this photo: Standing from left to right are Daniel Vela, Javier Farias, Superintendent Dr. James Ponce, Dr. Joseph Caporusso and Sam Saldivar Jr. Sitting are Debbie Crane Aliseda, Board President Hilda Garza-DeShazo and Board Vice President Erica de la Garza.Courtesy of McAllen ISD:

The McAllen ISD School Board of Trustees has been named the Region I School Board of the Year for 2011-12, it was announced.

The McAllen School Board received notice in a letter from the regional office which represents nearly 40 school districts between Laredo and Brownsville.

“Region One Education Service Center is proud to announce the McAllen Independent School District’s school board as this year’s regional winning entry in the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) School Board Awards Program,” Region One ESC Executive Director Jack Damron wrote in a congratulatory letter addressed to McAllen ISD Superintendent James Ponce, Ed.D. “You and your school district should be extremely proud of the recognition that this award brings to your school community.”

As the regional winner, McAllen ISD’s board is now in the running for the Outstanding School Board for the state which will be announced at the TASA-TASB (Texas Association of School Administrators-Texas Association of School Boards) Annual Convention Sept. 28-30 in Austin. Officials at the TASA-TASB Conference will first select a group of five Honor Boards from the 20 regional winners from Texas. Of those five Honor Boards, one will be named the state’s Outstanding Board.

“We are honored and humbled to be recognized by the entire region,” McAllen School Board President Hilda Garza-DeShazo said. “This is truly the result of a team effort. Our administration, our teachers, staff, parents and students have all contributed to making this a great school district.”

One area in which McAllen ISD is unique is its TLC3 framework. This past year, McAllen ISD unveiled a plan to provide electronic learning devices for every student. Known as TLC3, or Transforming Learning in the Classroom, Campus and Community, this cutting-edge framework utilizes devices like the iPad and iPod Touch so students can embrace technology and cultivate skills for the 21st-century workforce. TLC3 became the subject of news stories in the Valley, the state, nation and even internationally thanks to an Associated Press feature.

This is McAllen ISD’s second Regional award. In 1998, the McAllen School Board represented the region and was later named a state Honor Board – making it one of the top five in the state.

McAllen’s School Board members include Mrs. DeShazo, Erica de la Garza, Debbie Crane Aliseda, Sam Saldivar Jr., Daniel Vela, Javier Farias and Dr. Joseph Caporusso.

According to the TASA website, TASA created the School Board Awards Program in 1971 to recognize those school boards that have demonstrated outstanding dedication and rendered ethical service to the children of Texas. The criteria emphasize evidence of support for educational performance improvement. The awards program allows each regional selection committee to submit up to two nominations for state competition, one from districts with less than 1,000 students and one from districts with more than 1,000 students.

The Region One Education Service Center is part of a state-wide system of 20 regional education service centers to assist school districts. The education service centers work alongside school districts to carry out three main objectives -- to assist school districts in improving student performance; enable school districts to operate more efficiently and economically; and to implement initiatives assigned by the legislature or commissioner. Region One ESC serves 37 school districts and nine charter school systems in the seven county areas of Cameron, Hidalgo , Jim Hogg, Starr, Webb, Willacy and Zapata County.