The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) recently hosted its 2022 State of the District with over 300 attendees, including district leadership, principals, directors and event sponsors.
The new State of the District Report was released during the event held in the Region One Education Service Center’s Conference Room, highlighting the district’s continuing efforts and most recent achievements and accomplishments during the 2021-2022 school year.
“As a district, we have endured so much these past few years — constantly shifting based on needs brought by this pandemic,” PSJA School Board President Ricardo “Rick” Pedraza said. “But one thing is for sure. We have prevailed, and we are stronger than ever.
“This could only have happened through collective impact. It is not one person or group of people that have made this success possible; it is all members of our PSJA Family.”
PSJA ISD leaders showcased efforts aligned to the district’s Strategic Direction pillars: Leadership Growth, Effective Teaching & Learning, Student Support, and District & School Climate. Included in the many accomplishments this school year, health and safety remained at the forefront, providing three high-quality learning options for students, administering more than 50,000 COVID-19 vaccines to the community and continuing to provide competitive salaries for employees.
“As we have learned since the start of the pandemic, educational institutions have been the guiding light,” PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo said. “Our district has led our community with safety protocols, resources, and education.
“Our teachers and staff have shown the world how resilient and innovative we can be and that no matter what comes our way, we continue to do what is right for our students and families.”
During his address, Dr. Arredondo also announced the recipients of the inaugural Elementary and Secondary Principal of the Year Awards, which serve to recognize the important effort of campus leaders across the district in student success and performance. The honorees, Michelle Fox-Cardoza from Berta Palacios Elementary in South Pharr and Dr. Lizette Longoria from Audie Murphy Middle School in North Alamo, were selected by a committee based on proven leadership, success during their tenure, and overall student, staff and community sentiment.
“All of our principals are the best of the best,” Dr. Arredondo said. “We thank them for always going above and beyond to serve our students and staff. We could not be where we are now without their leadership and support for student learning. Congratulations to our much-deserving first recipients of this award!”
The six 2022 Spirit PSJA Student Profiles were also recognized and highlighted during the 2022 State of the District and were presented with Superintendent Scholarships of $750. The Spirit of PSJA Student Profiles features students who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, fine arts and community service. The program provides an opportunity to recognize PSJA ISD high school students who have made outstanding contributions and accomplishments to the district and our PSJA community.
In addition to sharing the highlights of the past year, PSJA ISD leaders are looking forward to the future. The PSJA Literacy Impact for Excellence (LIFE) strategic plan was announced and is scheduled to launch during the 2022-2023 school year. PSJA LIFE is a sustainable strategic literacy plan that will create a districtwide literacy blueprint across all content areas for academic success.
“We thank our entire PSJA team for their commitment to our students and families, as well as our event sponsors for their continuous support of student success,” said Dr. Arredondo.
Proceeds of the event will go to the PSJA Education Foundation to continue to fund student scholarships and teacher grants.
To read the full 2022 PSJA State of the District Report, visit www.psjaisd.us/stateofdistrict.
