Education

After Firing Search Firm, SAISD Names Interim Superintendent As Finalist

Joey Palacios — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:20:02 +0000

The San Antonio Independent School District Board of Trustees has voted 5-0 to name interim superintendent Sylvester Perez as the lone finalist for the full-time position.

Perez was not initially in the running for the permanent position, but eventually changed his mind. He is the former superintendent of Midland ISD and has been serving in the interim since Robert Duron left in Feb. 2012.

He said his focus will be to ensure students are at the proper reading level:

In Pictures: Edison Students Mobilize Emergency Response For Mass Casualty Drill

Chris Eudaily and Joey Palacios — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:05:08 +0000

Nearly 300 Edison High School students got hands-on experience with triage and search-and-rescue on Monday morning. A simulated school bus "explosion" was part of a four-hour training exercise at the Public Safety Magnet school. The students played the role of first responders.

It's a scenario that no one wants to see happen: An I.E.D. explodes on an SAISD school bus, injuring several dozen students--followed by a second blast a few minutes later.

Political Pressure Too Much For CSCOPE, Cancels Services In Texas

Ryan Poppe — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:54:23 +0000

After heated political pressure that included proposed legislation this session, the group running the online lesson provider CSCOPE has canceled their services with the state.

According to the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, 877 Texas school districts use the online lesion plan known as CSCOPE.

Rodriguez Elementary Gets Library Makeover

Joey Palacios — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:45:21 +0000

The Cleto Rodriguez Elementary School library is receiving a complete renovation and makeover with the addition of new books.

Volunteers were hard at work piecing together new tables and bookshelves and thanks to The Heart of America Foundation and Capital One 6,000 books are being donated.

"We’ll be painting the walls, we’ve added inspiration quotes, we’ve shelved books, we’re also providing financial literacy in all the classrooms ," Monica Shortino, a community relations manager with Capital One.

Updated: No More Bargaining For Passes To UTSA Graduation

Eileen Pace — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:28:59 +0000

Update: (11:46 a.m.) City officials are expecting an additional 8,000 vehicles in the downtown area for the graduation ceremonies this afternoon and advise people traveling in and around downtown to plan for congestion.

The first ceremony is scheduled to conclude at 4:30 p.m., meaning afternoon traffic congestion on area highways and streets will likely begin earlier than normal.

Local Transportation Service Wins Contract For Pre-K 4 SA

Ryan Loyd — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:35:57 +0000

The Pre-K 4 SA board of directors has chosen its transportation service to take students to and from the model education centers.

Four firms competed for the contract to provide transportation services for San Antonio's Pre-K 4 SA program.

Two of them were national companies - Durham Transportation, and First Student, Inc. One was a small, family-owned Texas company - All Aboard Transportation, based in Tom Bean. The final one hails from San Antonio - Star Shuttle.

UTSA President Increases Top-Tier Campaign Goal

Eileen Pace — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:22:53 +0000

UTSA on Monday announced it is raising the goal for the university’s capital campaign.

UTSA launched its Top-Tier Campaign a year ago with a goal of raising $120 million. To date, the campaign has provided funding for 35 new scholarships, 26 new endowed faculty positions, and nine new research centers.

The campaign hit its target last month, or in about one-third the time the school had allotted.

Updated: Workers Union Files Federal Lawsuit Against Northside ISD

Eileen Pace — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:56:42 +0000

Update: (9:30 a.m.) Federal Judge Xavier Rodriguez, who is hearing the case, denied the Texas Workers Alliance restraining order against Northside ISD in reference to the specific incident cited.

The restraining order was seeking the restraining order to allow TWA member Alma Benavides to distribute organization materials at an employee organization day on May 6.

Pre-K 4 SA Pre-Enrollment Continues, New Times/Locations

Ryan Loyd — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:59:21 +0000

Wednesday is the start of pre-enrollment for San Antonio’s new early childhood education initiative, Pre-K 4 SA. 700 students in total will be selected for the inaugural classes at the two model education centers, located on the northwest and southeast sides of town.

The city changed the dates and locations of pre-enrollment, which is now scheduled to run through May 9.

College Week Aims To Remove Barricades From Higher Learning

Ryan Loyd — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:20:57 +0000

The city is in the middle of a week-long list of events to motivate residents of all ages - from elementary to high school and beyond - to go to college.

On Monday, Mayor Julián Castro reminded people on the steps of City Hall about the city’s commitment to education.

"San Antonians set a bold goal," he said. "That goal was to make the biggest turnaround in educational achievement any big city has seen in a decade."