BISD Super Chess Results

Several Brownsville ISD chess teams competed at the SuperNationals Championship Chess Tournament on May 12-14, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. Congratulations to our outstanding chess students, parents, and sponsors on this year’s results. BISD is a national chess powerhouse. View the BISD campus rankings.

Final NCUST Results Announced

Five BISD schools were honored at the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) Symposium on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. The final results were announced on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Veterans Memorial ECHS, Stillman MS and Paredes ES earned Silver Awards and Breeden and Pullam Elementaries were recognized as Bronze Award winners. Congratulations to these BISD schools.

TWC Awards BISD Coding Grant

Brownsville ISD is one of 8 recipients of a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) grant for Camp Code. The $47,992 grant will fund 120 scholarships for the Girls Can Code Camp, a summer program in partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The program will introduce middle school girls to coding and computer science. View the media release.

102 BISD Grads Earn Superintendent’s Scholarships

Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Superintendent’s Scholarships. A total of 102 graduating BISD seniors will each receive $1,000 to attend the college of their choice. The scholarship funds were raised at the 14th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament hosted by Dr. Zendejas at the Rancho Viejo Resort on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Scholarship recipients were selected by committees of local community members and district personnel. A total of 291 student applications were reviewed by the committees to determine the winners. View the media release.

Superintendent Earns National NCUST Award

Dr. Esperanza Zendajas was awarded the 2017 Ronald Edmonds Award for Leadership in Urban Education on Tuesday, May 16 at the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Foundation Recognizes 21 BISD Students and 14 Employees

A total of 21 BISD students received $1,000 scholarships at The Brownsville School District Centennial Gala held on Thursday, May 11. Congratulations to: Lidia Guerrero, BECHS; Victoria Garcia, Hanna ECHS; Leticia Hernandez Rodriguez, Hanna ECHS; Zuila Margarita Baez, Lopez ECHS; Arixel Euiga, Lopez ECHS; Jacqueline Mercado, Lopez ECHS; Eduardo Peña, Lopez ECHS; Sergio Perez, Lopez ECHS; Cecilia Estefania Hernandez, Lopez ECHS; Jose Miguel Gonzalez, Pace ECHS; Lizbeth Flores, Pace ECHS; Kayla Urbano, Pace ECHS; Jesus Lopez, Porter ECHS; Anja Martinez, Rivera ECHS; Pablo Loo, Rivera ECHS; Cassandra Cruz, Veterans Memorial ECHS; Luis Guerra, Veterans Memorial ECHS; Caesar Gutierrez, Veterans Memorial ECHS; Veronica K. Froozan, Veterans Memorial ECHS; Pedro Pinales, Veterans Memorial ECHS; and Gloria Ramirez, Veterans Memorial ECHS. Teaching mini-grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 were awarded to: Tonya Cook, Champion ES; Jazmin Barrientos, Pace ECHS; Monica Vasquez, Lopez ECHS; Gloria E. Vital, Victoria Heights; Gloria E. Vital, Resaca ES; Cecilia D. Salinas, Stell MS; Eduardo Figueroa, Gallegos ES; Bernardo Reyes, Gallegos ES; and Marie Munoz, Hanna ECHS. Five BISD Assistant Principal and Deans of Instruction were also recognized: Maria J. Garcia, Assistant Principals, Champion ES; Maria C. Lara, Dean of Instruction, Garcia MS; Maria Isabel Ybarra, Assistant Principal, Hudson ES; Sara Alanis, Assistant Principal, Lopez ECHS; and Juan C. Chavez, Dean of Instruction, Hanna ECHS. Thank you to the Brownsville School District Centennial Foundation Corporation for honoring these outstanding BISD students and employees.

Challenging Schools

Pace and Hanna Early College High Schools made the list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools which was released by The Washington Post on Friday, May 5, 2017. Pace was ranked #958 and Hanna was ranked #1984. Rankings are based on a formula that includes the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. A total of 12% of all U.S. high schools made the cut. The Challenging Schools list first debuted in 1998. Congratulations to Pace and Hanna ECHS! View the information.

Meeting the Highest Financial Standards

Brownsville ISD has recently been awarded two prestigious Certificates of Excellence and Achievement in Financial Reporting. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recognized the BISD Finance Department for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which is the highest form of recognition in the area of government accounting and financial reporting. In addition, the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International recognized the district’s Comprehensive Annual Performance Report for the fiscal year ending 2016 for having met or exceeded the program’s high standards for financial reporting and accountability. Both awards confirm the district’s commitment to financial accountability and transparency. Congratulations to the BISD employees who handle accounting and financial reporting.

13 More BISD Schools to Offer Pre-K 3

Brownsville ISD is pleased to announce an exciting new expansion of the current Pre-K 3 Year Old Program. The district is now pre-registering pre-k 3 year olds for a half day program that will start next school year at 19 additional BISD schools. Learn more.

Trio of BISD Schools Up For Gold NCUST Awards

Three BISD schools, Veterans Memorial ECHS, Stillman Middle School, and Paredes Elementary, will soon learn if they have earned the titles of 2017 America’s Best Urban Schools. The three BISD schools have already received Silver Awards from the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST). These Silver Awards could possibly become Gold Awards when the final announcement is made at the National NCUST Symposium on Tuesday, May 16 in Nashville, Tennessee. Also competing for Gold Awards are schools in New York City District 14, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Socorro Independent School District. Breeden and Pullam Elementary Schools have already earned Bronze Awards. Eleven additional BISD elementaries earned Honor Roll rankings for meeting all eligibility requirements: Castañeda, Champion, Gallegos, Keller, Longoria, Morningside, Peña, Resaca, Sharp, Southmost, and Yturria. BISD schools have participated in the NCUST process since 2015 and have received one Gold, two Silver, four Bronze Awards, and numerous Honor Roll recognitions. Best wishes to our BISD schools in Nashville!

BISD History Fair Success

Students Jack A. Jordan, Monserrat Sandoval-Malherbe and Richard Zayas from Stillman Middle School placed 1st, 2nd, and 1st respectively at the Texas History Day event celebrated in Austin, Texas on April 29, 2017. They will be representing BISD at the National History Contest at the University of Maryland, College Park from June 11-15, 2017. The students were also recipients of the The Jewish History Award, The C.M. Caldwell Memorial Award for Texas History, and The Locke Lord LLP Legal History Award respectively. Their sponsors are Frances Garcia and David Blackmon. Stillman Middle School continued their unprecedented success with Maya Garcia and Javier Gallegos placing third in Group Documentary and Emma Gonzalez and Isabela Soto placing 4th with their Group Website. Their sponsors are Frances Garcia, David Blackmon, and Patrick Alvarez. BISD’s historic run at Texas History Day was confirmed as Pace, Porter, Rivera, and Veterans Memorial ECHS were also State Finalists as well as recipients of the Distinguished Achievement award. View the BISD Texas History Day results.

BISD Auditors Are The Best!

Governor Greg Abbott has proclaimed May 7-13, 2017 as Internal Audit Week to increase public awareness of the important contributions made by internal auditors. BISD appreciates the efforts of its internal auditors and urges all district stakeholders to show their appreciation to these invaluable employees. View Governor Abbott’s proclamation.

5 BISD Seniors Earn CAMP Scholarships

Five BISD seniors have been awarded the College Assistance Migrant Program (Camp) Scholarship to St. Edward’s University valued at $226,900 each. Congratulations to Rebecca Sanchez, Lopez ECHS; Karen Mendiola and Karolina Bonilla, Porter ECHS; David Rojas and Rolando Garcia, Rivera ECHS. The five-year scholarship covers tuition, books and materials, room and board, health insurance, transportation, and a monthly stipend. The future is bright for these five ECHS students.

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

The wait is almost over. The 2017 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards state winners will be announced on Sunday, May 7 evening at the Hilton Austin Hotel Ballroom in Austin, Texas. Brownsville ISD is one of five finalists in the Large District Category which includes a $100,000 prize. The four other finalists are Allen ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Northwest ISD, and Soccorro ISD. Rose Longoria, the Pace ECHS Principal, was named a finalist in the Principal Category. She is competing against other educators for cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Created in 2002, the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards are designed to honor outstanding public school professionals and to thank them for their dedication and commitment. It is the largest monetary awards program for educators in Texas and one of the largest in the nation. Best of luck to BISD and Rose Longoria!

BISD Nurses Are the Best

Governor Greg Abbott has proclaimed Wednesday, May 10 to be School Nurse Day. BISD applauds its school health care professionals for their caring student support. View the Governor’s Proclamation.