81R23365 JH-D
By: Pena H.R. No. 1880
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The year 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the
founding of the first organized school in Edinburg, and this
occasion offers an opportunity to recognize the community's rich
educational history and the notable achievements of the Edinburg
Consolidated Independent School District; and
WHEREAS, It was in 1909 that classes initially met in a small
two-room building on the edge of town; the students, who numbered 30
that first year, walked or rode horses to reach the school, and the
faculty consisted of two teachers; and
WHEREAS, The Edinburg Independent School District came into
being on April 3, 1919, when the 36th Texas Legislature passed House
Bill No. 603; the district's inaugural superintendent was W. E.
Foster, who earned an annual salary of $2,500 for his work; and
WHEREAS, The number of pupils in the Edinburg school district
was relatively small in its early years, at least when compared with
the district today; in 1919, there was a total of 799 students who
were served by 25 teachers, and the graduating class of Edinburg
High School that year consisted of just two people; nonetheless,
the district exhibited the same commitment to continuous
improvement that has become its hallmark; within two years of its
establishment, it had begun bus service, started work on a
"teacherage" to provide housing for unmarried female instructors,
and even fielded its first football team, despite the fact that most
of the members had never before played the sport; and
WHEREAS, In 1926, the Edinburg school system joined with
Common School Districts No. 7 and No. 8 to create the Edinburg
Consolidated Independent School District; the following year, a
bond issue was approved to create a new junior high and high school
as well as fine arts facilities and other improvements; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, Edinburg CISD continued to
expand; by 1949, enrollment stood at 3,900 students, nearly five
times the number that had attended when the district was founded,
and by the following year, there were 14 schools in operation; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Edinburg public school system is one of
the fastest growing in Texas, with 2,000 teachers providing
instruction to almost 31,000 students; it serves an area of some 945
square miles, which makes it one of the largest land mass districts
in the nation, and it includes 3 high schools, 5 middle schools, 27
elementary schools, and an alternative education campus; and
WHEREAS, Upholding the motto "Educational Excellence
Abounds," the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District is
carrying forth its mission of preparing young people in Hidalgo
County for the challenges and opportunities of the future, and its
legacy of academic achievement over the course of nine decades has
played a major role in the ongoing development of South Texas; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial of the founding of
the first organized school in Edinburg and congratulate the
educators, staff, and students of the Edinburg Consolidated
Independent School District on this special milestone; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the district as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.