Initiatives announced for Brownsville ISD

Editor:

I am pleased to report that our Brownville ISD school year is off to a fantastic start, with our students enthusiastically engaged in their studies and extracurricular activities.

I want to extend my sincere appreciation to our local citizens for supporting our recent tax ratification election with 84 percent approval. You can expect to see progress on several of the priority campus projects in the coming months.

Let me briefly update you on some of our other ongoing district initiatives:

• More than 2,000 elementary students are currently participating in the new BISD extended day enrichment program offered at nine campuses. The program begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Based on this success, Brownsville can expect to see the program expand to several more BISD elementary schools very soon.

• Almost 900 BISD elementary students have already taken advantage of our new open enrollment program, which was initiated prior to the start of the school year. The ability to easily enroll children at a BISD elementary campus other than their zoned campus has proved to be very convenient for many of our parents and we are happy to support our families.

• We have made a diligent effort to improve our cafeteria food and reduce student waste. These changes have met with student and parent approval. Many more tasty and nutritious menu items are on the horizon for our school cafeterias.

• We are beginning to receive some of the almost $14 million in federal E-rate funds that were owed to BISD for more than 4 years. A portion of these funds will immediately be reinvested into upgrading campus technology infrastructure and increasing student computer access. Special thanks to Congressman Filemon Vela and his staff for their assistance.

• We are in the process of establishing a school district foundation to engage our local community and business stakeholders in increasing the number of scholarships available to our outstanding and highly motivated early college high school graduates. We also hope to provide opportunities for our campuses and teachers to earn grants for innovative and creative learning projects that will support student learning.

• I recently had the privilege of meeting with the student council officers from our early college high schools and alternative schools. These dynamic young leaders were eager to express their opinions about the critical issues that affect them. I plan to continue this dialogue throughout the school year at their individual campuses.

• We are pleased to announce that we will host a youth farmer’s market at two campuses in November to reinforce healthy eating habits and teach our students about local food sources. Several community organizations are graciously partnering with us on this pilot project.

I am excited about these initiatives. I will continue to make myself available to you at district and community events. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me about improving our school district. I value your feedback.

I firmly believe that Brownsville ISD is the best choice for our community’s children and we will continue to vigorously look for ways to enhance our students’ educational opportunities.

Dr. Esperanza Zendejas

BISD superintendent

Initiatives announced for Brownsville ISD