April 11, 2011

Saavedra Tapped for CUBE Committee

A member of the Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees has been elected to a coveted position on a respected national education panel. Dr. Christina L. Saavedra, BISD Board Assistant Secretary, has been made a member of the Steering Committee of the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE). Established in 1967, CUBE is the only national membership organization governed solely by urban school board members dedicated to the needs and interests of urban school boards.

Dr. Saavedra’s election came during the 71st Annual National School Boards Association
Conference held in San Francisco, California on April 9–11, 2011. The entire CUBE
membership voted on her nomination. CUBE is governed by a Steering Committee
composed of 15 urban school board members from across the United States who meet
quarterly. Saavedra was first elected to the BISD Board in 2010.

CUBE represents over 110 urban school districts in 35 states and the Virgin Islands. Member districts educate nearly 8 million students in over 12,000 schools with a collective budget of approximately $99 billion. For more than 40 years, CUBE has been at the forefront of helping urban school districts strive for excellence. CUBE helps urban school leaders find solutions to challenges at the local level and seeks to improve their policy making effectiveness.

In 2008, the BISD Board of Trustees won the prestigious CUBE Annual Award for Urban
School Board Excellence and the district won the Broad Prize for Urban Education. In July
2010, the Texas Education Agency designated Brownsville as a State Recognized School
District for meeting absolute standard criteria. All 52 BISD schools, 100% of all district
campuses, were rated Exemplary or Recognized in the state’s 2010 accountability system.