DISTRICT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
This chapter reviews the organization and management of the Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) in the following sections:
The management of a school district requires cooperation between the elected members of the Board of Trustees, the superintendent and the district staff. The board's role is to set the goals and objectives for the district in both instructional and operational areas; determine the policies that will govern the district; approve the plans to implement those policies; and provide the funding necessary to carry out the plans.
The superintendent, as the district's chief executive officer, recommends the appropriate number of staff and resources to operate and accomplish the board's goals and objectives. The superintendent is also responsible for reporting management information to the board, and ensuring that the district is held accountable for meeting its performance goals. District managers and staff manage the day-to-day implementation of the board's plans and policies, and also recommend modifications needed to ensure that the district operates effectively.
BACKGROUND
Brownsville ISD, the state's 18th-largest school district, is located in the City of Brownsville in Cameron County, one of four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley. With a 2001-02 student enrollment of 42,541 students and 6,555 employees, the district is the region's largest employer.
Brownsville, the state's southernmost city, is located on the U.S./Mexico border, across from Matamoros, Mexico. Brownsville is 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and is within minutes of South Padre Island, a popular resort area.
With a population of over 139,000 residents, Brownsville is the region's largest city. It boasts an international seaport, a thriving economy and a 19 percent job-growth rate since the passage eight years ago of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico. The city also offers a low cost of living and good weather and air quality. Forbes Magazine recently named it one of the 10 best places to do business in the U.S. There are now 150 manufacturers on either side of the border.
Despite its robust economy and employment opportunities, Brownsville has a low per-capita income, where more than half of all households earn less than $25,000 per year. While the city boasts several universities and public school systems, nearly half of the adult population does not have a high school education. More than 30 percent of Brownsville's population is foreign-born; nearly 90 percent over age 5 speaks a language other than English; and 42 percent report that they speak limited English. Collectively, these factors present daunting challenges to BISD.
The district serves its students in five high schools, 10 middle schools and 32 elementary schools. Two of the district's elementary schools were opened in August 2001 and one in August 2002. The district also has five alternative campuses: the Alternative Education Center at Josephine Webb Campus, the Teen Learning Center, Lincoln Park School, Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program and the Deaf Education Program. Also in 2002, the district opened the Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center, a facility that has an eight-lane, 55-meter swimming pool, built with a portion of the proceeds from a $100 million bond program approved by voters in 1997.
BISD selected five Texas school districts to serve as peer districts for comparative purposes: Corpus Christi, Laredo, North East, Plano and Ysleta ISDs. Demographic data comparing the student populations in these districts is presented in Exhibit 1-1.
As shown in Exhibit 1-1, BISD's student population is 97.7 percent Hispanic; 0.1 percent are African American; 2 percent are Anglo; and 0.3 percent are classified as Other. Of the total population, 92.8 percent of BISD's students are categorized as economically disadvantaged, while 43.8 percent are identified as limited English proficient. The percentages of economically disadvantaged students and students classified as having limited English proficiency are considerably higher than the state averages in these categories. Statewide, the average percentage of economically disadvantaged students is 50.5 percent, and the average percentage of students with limited English proficiency is 14.5 percent.
Exhibit 1-1 Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA), Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), 2001-02.
Demographic Characteristics of Students
BISD, Peer Districts and State
2001-02
District Student Enrollment Racial/Ethnic Percent Economically Disadvantaged Limited English Proficiency African American Hispanic Anglo Other Brownsville 42,541 0.1% 97.7% 2.0% 0.3% 92.8% 43.8% Corpus Christi 39,383 5.6% 71.8% 21.2% 1.4% 56.8% 8.0% Laredo 23,188 0.1% 99.0% 0.8% 0.1% 96.2% 58.9% North East 53,030 9.6% 39.5% 48.0% 2.8% 35.0% 3.9% Plano 98,944 7.7% 10.9% 66.7% 14.8% 10.4% 8.6% Ysleta 46,742 2.3% 88.8% 8.0% 1.0% 77.9% 24.6% Region 1 314,566 0.2% 95.9% 3.5% 0.4% 84.5% N/A State 4,146,653 14.4% 41.7% 40.9% 2.8% 50.5% N/A Brownsville ISD is located in Regional Education Service Center I (Region 1). The Legislature created 20 regional education service centers in 1967 to provide services such as cooperative purchasing, computer support and training to Texas school districts. Region 1 covers a seven-county area in South Texas.