84R6658 CJM-D
By: Guerra H.R. No. 302
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Proud community members are gathering in Austin on
February 10, 2015, to celebrate South Texas Independent School
District Day at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, Originally known as the Rio Grande Rehabilitation
District, the South Texas Independent School District was
established in 1964 to create further educational opportunities for
area youths with disabilities; in 1973, legislators broadened the
district's purpose to allow it to operate vocational magnet
schools, and as a result, STISD opened South Texas High School for
Health Professions in 1984 and the Science Academy of South Texas
five years later; the district established the Teacher Academy of
South Texas in 1993, subsequently renaming the school South Texas
Business, Education and Technology Academy to better reflect its
focus; over the following years, the magnet program continued to
expand with the addition of South Texas Academy for Medical
Professions and South Texas Preparatory Academy; and
WHEREAS, Currently encompassing five magnet schools in
Edinburg, San Benito, and Mercedes, STISD is the only all-magnet
district in the state; it serves more than 3,300 junior high and
high school students and maintains an open enrollment policy that
attracts interested and hardworking pupils from 28 school districts
in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties, and it continues to
provide educational and occupational training for students with
special needs through its career and technology program; and
WHEREAS, The district's superintendent, Dr. Marla M. Guerra,
ably guides a staff of accomplished teachers, administrators, and
support personnel who are deeply committed to the success of young
people in the tri-county area; in 2014, their work was recognized
when the Texas Education Agency gave every campus in the district
the highest accountability rating and maximum number of distinction
designations available; and
WHEREAS, The faculty and staff of South Texas ISD continue to
look for new ways to help students achieve, lead, and contribute to
a changing world; to that end, the district's second middle school,
South Texas Academy of Rising Scholars, will open in the fall of
2015; and
WHEREAS, For more than half a century, the South Texas
Independent School District has dedicated itself to offering
students the best educational opportunities possible, and in so
doing, it has equipped several generations of Texans with the
knowledge and skills necessary to build a brighter future; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 84th Texas Legislature
hereby recognize February 10, 2015, as South Texas Independent
School District Day at the State Capitol and extend to all those in
attendance sincere best wishes for an enjoyable visit to Austin;
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 Senate.