April 2024 BoardBits

During the April 30 meeting of the STISD Board of Directors, the board approved increases in teacher compensation, the addition of content area stipends, and a retention stipend for all STISD employees for the 2024-2025 school year. For the retention stipend, half will be disbursed in December and the other half in May.

The board also approved increasing the College Incentive amounts for employees in positions that do not require a degree:

• 30-59 hours - $100 monthly ($5.35 daily)
• 60-89 hours - $200 monthly ($10.70 daily)
• 90+ hours - $350 monthly ($18.73 daily)
• BA degree - $550 monthly ($29.43 daily)

The district is still reviewing compensation plans for all other positions, and will bring recommendations to the board later this spring.

On Wednesday, May 1, the City of Edinburg recognized World Scholars students who recently completed internships with the City of Edinburg- Government. This year, the campus had 22 students intern in various departments related to their Career and Technical Education (CTE) program of study - business, law, and audio video technology - where they received hands-on experience and had the opportunity to utilize their skills for city projects and more. Congratulations, and job well done!

Click here to see additional photos from the ceremony

STISD Science Academy has been recognized as a 2023-24 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School, marking the sixth consecutive year the campus has earned this distinction.

The campus is one of just a few hundred high schools across the U.S. to receive this honor for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through PLTW Computer Science and Engineering.

“Recognition as a PLTW Distinguished School is a tremendous honor for us as a campus community, as this achievement aligns perfectly with what we work so hard for as a school. We value our partnership with PLTW, and we truly believe all students should have access to these types of transformative learning experiences to better prepare them for college, career, and life,” said Eric Gutierrez, Science Academy principal.

Click here to read the full story

All four South Texas Independent School District (STISD) high schools ranked within the top four percent of schools in the state and nation in the 2024 Best High Schools Rankings recently released by U.S. News & World Report.

In the state rankings, South Texas ISD Science Academy (Science Academy) in Mercedes ranked 41st, South Texas ISD Medical Professions in Olmito ranked 65th, South Texas ISD Health Professions in Mercedes ranked 69th, and South Texas ISD World Scholars (formerly South Texas Business, Education & Technology Academy) in Edinburg ranked 88th.  Out of nearly 18,000 public high schools from across the nation ranked in this year’s list, Science Academy ranked 291st, Medical Professions ranked 506th, Health Professions ranked 514th, and World Scholars ranked 644th.

According to U.S. News, the six measures that determined each school’s rank include: College Readiness (30% of the ranking); College Curriculum Breadth (10%); State Assessment Proficiency (20%); State Assessment Performance (20%); Underserved Student Performance (10%); and Graduation Rate (10%).

Click here to read the full story