Charter accomplishments many since last superintendents changed hands
By Gregg Wendorf
Advance News Journal
After Vanguard Academy Public Charter Schools Superintendent Narciso Garcia retires effective June 30, current Edcouch-Elsa ISD Deputy Superintendent Marisol Rocha has already been selected the district’s Lone Finalist and is expected to begin work July 1.
The district continues growing, expected to seat more students in the upcoming school year, showing slow, steady growth each year.
During the past seven years since Narciso Garcia has been superintendent, he and his staff have accrued the following accolades, which Garcia says, should continue now that the board has selected a competent successor:
# “Seven years ago, we had zero Spanish textbooks in any of our schools. Because that’s just the type of bilingual program that they were running. You fast-forward to now seven years later, and we have our dual language program that is highly successful, pre-K through fifth grade for the elementary.
“In 2017, we had 32 percent emergent bilingual students. Today we have 52 percent, so over half of our student population is emergent bilingual students. And now we have Spanish books on every single campus, every elementary; and seven years ago we had five schools. You fast-forward to today, we have 10 schools.
“We had 2,700 students seven years ago. For next school year, which is already starting, we’re projected to be at 7,500 students in August.”
# “You know how our communities are always talking about education in general? Traditional public school districts, at least some, are saying, ‘Well, charter schools cherry-pick students.’
“Well, we’ve gone from 32 percent emergent bilingual students (deficient in English, as defined by the state) to 52 percent. When I arrived, we had 3 percent special education students. Today, 10 percent of our student population is special needs students. And so we have about 660 special education students, which is 10 percent of our student population for next year, and it’s going to grow next year, too.”
# “Seven years ago, another group that was really struggling was our dyslexic students. My first day on board at Vanguard when I came in, I had a group of parents that came in to speak to me at the old central office on Kelly, and they said, ‘Look,’ and they were in tears. They said, ‘Look, you all have never provided support for our dyslexic children.’ And I said, Look, it’s my first day here. But I promise you that we are going to take care of your children, our kids.
“So we established a dyslexia program. Today, we have six dyslexia teachers, actually seven dyslexia teachers district-wide, who are working with their dyslexic students. And they are some of our high-performing students. It’s just teaching them the skills at elementary to deal and cope with the situation of being dyslexic.”
# “When I came in, Vanguard had one campus in Alamo. We had two campuses in Pharr. Now we have two campuses in Alamo, three campuses in Pharr. We have just started a new campus in Edinburg. Now we have another huge campus in Edinburg too. And Mission. We opened up Mission as well as South Pharr.
“So we didn't have a presence in South Pharr and Mission when I came in as superintendent, and a very small presence in Edinburg and Alamo; but now it’s our presence. We’re busting at the seams in Alamo, Edinburg, and in Mission. More parents want us there with a bigger campus.
“Right now in Mission, we’re housed at a church just like we were in Pharr when we started back 23 years ago. So God has really allowed for us to be able to successfully provide these great opportunities for our students and our parents in those communities, and so we continue to grow.”
# “We’re going to be doing something different next year at our Van Gogh campus in South Pharr on Moore Road, where the traffic congestion has been so bad.
“We’re going to offer transportation to the students who attend there, who live in South Pharr (Las Milpas) because the majority of the population of that campus is from South Pharr, and the traffic leaving and entering the campus via Jackson Rd. gets so congested.
“So next school year to relieve the traffic congestion there, Vanguard is doing its part by offering transportation — two buses.
“We’re going to be sending two buses to South Pharr each day. One of them is going to park at the Walmart. We already asked for permission, and so one of them is going to park at the Walmart there in Hidalgo on Jackson and Moore.
“The other bus is going to park at Junior's Supermarket on Cage in South Pharr. And so we’re going to pick up and drop off kids there next school year. That’s the way to relieve the traffic congestion for that campus because Van Gogh is projected to be at 1,200 students next school year, and we just opened it three years ago.”
# Of late, what Garcia said he’s most excited about for both the charter, its staff, students, parents, and administrators is the Kinder Readiness Report, recently released by the TEA (Texas Education Agency).
“It provides you with a kinder readiness for your school district. For us, I looked it up and found out that Vanguard is number one in the entire region and near the top across the entire state when it comes to kinder readiness based on that report. When you’re No. 1 in the region, you may have a chance at being named No. 1 in the state when it comes to kinder readiness.”
For Vanguard, said Garcia, that report represents a huge success.
“Because if you set the firm foundation at the bottom, in the early grades, guess what? They’re going to be ready for college in later years. They’re going to be ready for their careers. They’re going to be ready for life. They’re going to be ready for associate degrees. They’re going to be ready to apply to these colleges and these universities.”
# “We also have 10 students who have been accepted into Baylor University. We also have another student who, in December, was accepted into Rice University College of Engineering. A full-ride, four-year scholarship.
“All told, of the 217 high school seniors at Vanguard, 217 have already accepted $56 million in scholarships.”
Marisol Rocha
Earlier this month, the Vanguard Board of Directors released a public statement about its selection of Marisol Rocha as the district’s presumptive new superintendent:
The Vanguard Academy Charter School (Vanguard Academy) Board of Directors is proud to announce Dr. Marisol Rocha as the lone finalist for the position of Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Rocha has devoted over 20 years of service to public education. She has dedicated her career to school improvement and the development of whole child education.
On the approval of Dr. Rocha as lone finalist, Board President Dr. Luzelma Canales stated, “We are excited to have Dr. Marisol Rocha as our lone finalist for the Superintendent of Schools position. The responsibility for identifying our next Superintendent of Schools was one that was taken very seriously by our Board of Directors. We believe that under her leadership she will continue the legacy of excellence for our Vanguard community. Dr. Rocha’s extensive experience working with campus and district teams to build capacity for continuous growth and improvement was a contributing factor to the decision. Furthermore, her dedication, commitment, and leadership to the success of all children and their families was also a key factor in the board’s decision.”
“I am honored and thrilled beyond measure for the opportunity to lead Vanguard Academy. I look forward to embracing the traditions and culture with the staff, families, and community as we work together to build upon the established excellence that is Vanguard,” expressed Dr. Rocha when asked about being named lone finalist.
Dr. Rocha currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent for Edcouch-Elsa ISD. She has previously served as Director of State and Federal Programs and School Improvement in Bastrop ISD. She also served as a campus administrator in Del Valle ISD, Austin ISD, and Waco ISD. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Texas A&M University, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Tarleton State University. Dr. Rocha earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Education through the Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Board of Directors will finalize Dr. Rocha’s appointment after the state-mandated 21-day waiting period, with an expected start date of July 1, 2024. The Vanguard Academy family looks forward to welcoming Dr. Rocha and working together to continue reaching for continued educational excellence.