82R11476 MGR-D
By: Pena H.R. No. 770
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Vision Academy of Excellence in the Edinburg
Consolidated Independent School District has helped 135
nontraditional students earn their high school diplomas since it
opened in January 2010; and
WHEREAS, Created by district superintendent Dr. Rene
Gutierrez, the Vision Academy of Excellence was founded to assist
students in mastering the competencies they need to graduate and to
provide an alternative for those whose schooling was interrupted;
as part of a "no excuses" philosophy, administrators utilize
district lists of students who have stopped attending class and
make home visits to inform those individuals of the Vision Academy
and how it can help them to earn needed course credits or to pass
state proficiency tests; and
WHEREAS, The second graduating class at the academy received
diplomas on January 27, 2011; 92 students, twice the number from the
previous year, fulfilled the graduation requirements despite the
challenges they faced; and
WHEREAS, Currently about 142 students are enrolled at the
school, ranging in age from 18 to 25, and nearly 40 percent have
children of their own; academy director Nelda Garza and her staff
collaborate with ECISD team parent staff, Communities in Schools,
Workforce Solutions, and the United Way to connect students to
child care and other resources; and
WHEREAS, The academy achieves positive results by fostering a
personalized approach to education and by offering flexible hours
and scheduling and small class sizes; school district
administrators have applied for grants, including from the
organization Jobs for the Future, in hopes of increasing the number
of students the academy serves; and
WHEREAS, Public education is an endeavor in which all Texans
have a stake, and the dedicated work of the faculty and staff of the
Vision Academy of Excellence is changing many lives for the better;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor the Vision Academy of Excellence in the
Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District for helping
nontraditional students to graduate from high school and extend
sincere best wishes to all those associated with the campus for
continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the academy as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.