The STISD Board of Directors hired San Juanita Ortiz as South Texas ISD World Scholars principal during the Oct. 27 board meeting.

As an educator for over 25 years and having spent the last five years as an administrator at STISD Health Professions, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in education and STISD specifically.

Ortiz began her career in education in January 1994 as a mathematics teacher at Elgin High School in Elgin, Texas. She finished out the 1993-1994 school year in that position and then relocated and began teaching mathematics at Berta Cabaza Middle School in San Benito in the fall. Ortiz taught there for 10 years before being hired as a mathematics instructional coach for San Benito CISD in August 2004. She was in that position until June 2006, when she then took on the role of dean of mathematics instruction for San Benito High School, a position in which she served from July 2006 to November 2015. Ortiz joined the STISD family when she came to STISD Health Professions as an assistant principal in November 2015.

Ortiz holds a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Texas at Brownsville and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from St. Edward’s University in Austin.

She has been married to her husband, Eugenio Ortiz, for 28 years, and they have three children - Jacob (middle school teacher), Justin (account executive), and Jovannah (in the doctoral program for physical therapy at the University of the Incarnate Word). 

Ortiz has devoted her career to ensuring the best educational opportunities for children, and she looks forward to continuing this at World Scholars. She says of her motivation, “I believe that education is not an option, and I am passionate about ensuring all students receive the best educational opportunities to prepare them for their futures.”