Area schools also impacted by changes in state law
Marfa ISD and other Big Bend area schools met some tough challenges this year, introduced largely by new federal and state mandates but also compelling issues closer to home. From potential ICE agents in schools to a new state voucher program, a failed bond and teacher arrests, area school administrators and teachers were tasked with the near impossible—keeping students safe and engaged while maintaining a drive for success in the face of such widespread uncertainty.
But the year had its high marks as well, particularly with remarkable achievements from students and a new career and technical education program.
ICE concerns
Beginning with President Donald Trump’s inauguration into office in January 2025, local schools were beset with a number of questions involving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) changing guidelines on January 21 to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to make arrests at “sensitive areas,” including schools, churches and hospitals, spaces that had been protected since 2011.
Local district leaders including Alpine ISD Superintendent Michelle Rinehart and Marfa ISD Interim Superintendent Arturo Alferez said they were assured by local DHS officials that schools were not the focus of current ICE investigations, but in the wake of other school ICE raids across the country over the last 12 months, uncertainty remains.
“You just don’t want the disruption in the classroom,” Alferez said. “You see what’s happening in bigger cities. You see it on social media, on the news, and you’re like, well, is that gonna happen here?”
“If you’re at our doors and you’re here to pick up students, we’re going to do everything we can to protect our students,” he said.
New laws affecting public schools
The 89th Texas Legislature, along with two special sessions called by Gov. Greg Abbott over the summer, led to the passage of several bills that directly affected area public schools.
One such bill was SB 2, commonly referred to as the “voucher program.” This program enables families to utilize public taxpayer funds to finance their children’s education at accredited private schools or cover various school-related expenses, such as textbooks, transportation, or therapy.
The program will be one of the largest school voucher initiatives in the nation.
In a region with few private school options, it is unclear how vouchers will affect local schools with already declining enrollment and budgetary shortfalls, but the legislative intent on school vouchers is frustrating to some school leaders who would prefer the focus be on helping their districts solve existing issues.
“The fact that there’s $14 billion a year in current funding gaps within public ed, and instead the state leaders are pushing through this $1 billion—projected to potentially rise to $4.5 billion a year—new entitlement program, it just shows where the state’s priorities really are,” Alpine ISD Superintendent Michelle Rinehart said.
In addition, the Legislature passed HB 1481, which prohibits students from using cell phones and other smart devices such as watches on school property during school hours, and SB 10, which requires public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. A federal judge recently struck down SB 10 in November; the judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring certain public school districts in Texas to remove Ten Commandments displays by December 1, 2025.
BB-RISE names inaugural director
In January, the Big Bend Rural Initiative for Success in Education (BB-RISE) named Jarrett Vickers as its inaugural regional director. BB-RISE is a regional career and technical education (CTE) collaborative between Alpine ISD, Marathon ISD and Marfa ISD that enhances college and career readiness across the Big Bend.
BB-RISE is a first-of-its-kind partnership in the Big Bend, and one of only five such partnerships in Texas. Through BB-RISE, the three districts operate inter-district CTE programs, allowing students to participate in the programs at neighboring school districts while remaining enrolled in their home district.
“Launching and leading BB-RISE requires an exceptional leader, someone with extraordinary vision and organization, knowledge of the intricacies of secondary schools and CTE programs, and well-developed strengths in collaboration, culture-building, and leading people,” shared Alpine ISD Superintendent Michelle Rinehart. “Mr. Vickers exemplifies this diverse skill set. He has proven his ability to lead for instructional excellence while building strong relationships with students, staff, and families. As the BB-RISE regional director, Mr. Vickers will expand his impact beyond Alpine and across the Big Bend, as he helps improve post-secondary opportunities and outcomes in all three communities.”
In August, Marfa ISD students joined the collaborative career training program BB-RISE.
Through the program, MISD students are able to participate in Alpine ISD’s preexisting nursing science “pathway” and Marathon ISD’s new business, finance and marketing pathway. Each will culminate in students earning 15 hours of dual credit and Industry Based Certifications.
Eight Marfa freshman, four Marathon freshman — the entire class — and 25 Alpine freshman are participating in BB-RISE this year, in addition to 25 Alpine upperclassmen in the certified nursing assistant (CNA) track.
Marathon is offering a course titled Principals of Business, Marketing and Finance, the first class for students embarking on that pathway.
Marfa High School students advance to State Science Fair
Marfa High School science fair teams advanced to state in February. Out of six projects, five advanced to the state competition which was held in College Station at Texas A&M University.
Student projects explored a variety of topics, from “Clouds and Colonies: The Impact of Vaping on Bacteria,” to “Exploring Martian Agriculture: The Effect of Additives on Substrate Composition for Enhanced Plant Growth on Mars,” and “Predicting Water Quality using AI.”
VASE
This spring, six Shorthorns competed in the Regional Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE) at Permian High School in Odessa, earning several awards for their works, which included paintings, drawings and mixed media pieces.
Piper Donaldson, Dariela Muñoz, Francisco Rosas and Giselle Torres were awarded the highest score of 4 for their art and received medals. Rosas’ piece, Electric Dandelions, advanced to the state competition that took place in April in San Marcos.
Fort Davis superintendent takes roller coaster ride to resignation
On March 9, the Fort Davis ISD School Board placed Superintendent Graydon Hicks on administrative leave without outlining the reason why. Hicks told Big Bend Sentinel at the time the board gave him no reason for the decision and did not allow him to speak at the school board meeting. “The only thing I can say is, one, I don’t know exactly what’s going on, and two, I can’t say anything other than that,” Hicks said.
Over the next three months, the community would hear differing accounts of the action. Although board members would not comment on the matter, a statement alleged Hicks was not following board directives. Hicks said the board was asking him to do something illegal, and he refused. (The board denied the allegation in a statement.) Other sources noted that it was a conflict with Michelle Hartmann, a deputy superintendent who administers the district’s early childhood partnerships, in which the district enrolls Pre-K to 2nd grade students in private and nonprofit schools around the state to share state revenue.
Since being put on leave, Hicks had continued to be paid according to his $126,500-a-year 2024-25 contract, which was set to expire on June 30. In the end, the Fort Davis ISD School Board agreed in early June to pay Hicks $67,000 to buy out his 2025-26 contract, which would have started on July 1. Hicks had been the superintendent of Fort Davis ISD for over a decade, since 2014, having previously served as a teacher for the district. The district also terminated his wife, Tammy Hicks, during the conflict.
The School Board appointed Ralph Traynham as interim superintendent, and he remains in the role today.
Presidio ISD bond failed
In May, a $9.9 billion bond election to fund improvements in Presidio ISD failed by just 21 votes.
A bond is one of the few tools that school districts can use to make large-dollar improvements without the limitations ascribed to state and federal funding. The package was designed to make it possible for the district to make capital improvements without taking a big bite out of local families’ finances.
Other school districts in the region have had mixed success with going out for bonds. A $57 million bond for Marfa ISD was shot down by voters in 2022, and in 2018 Alpine ISD voters approved a $22.5 million bond—but only on the district’s third try.
Presidio ISD Board Member Perla Natividad and the other board members explained that the package was designed with the help of the district’s bond attorneys. Priorities for how it would have been spent were not set in stone, but a list of potential projects was generated by surveying staff members about their needs.
Marfa ISD hosts Summer Shake Up
In June, Marfa ISD and Chinati Foundation, along with other area nonprofits, hosted the annual Camp Summer Shake Up, a free summer program for students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. The camp, started in 2013, provides fun activities and free, healthy meals each year during the month of June.
This year’s camp featured DJ Camp with Ballroom Marfa, Marfa Live Arts’ “Let the Sunshine In” theater camp, Marfa Studio of the Arts’ “Honk if You Like the Fort!” wild fort-building adventure, Marfa Public Library’s annual “Kid Cafe” kid-run restaurant, and more.
TEA scores released
In August, the Texas Education Agency released its 2025 “A-F” accountability ratings. While many area schools saw stable or even better scores than the previous year, like Alpine, Marathon, Valentine and Balmorhea, others experienced a notable decline–Fort Davis, Presidio, and Marfa schools in particular.
The TEA’s A-F accountability system (established in 2017 by the Texas Legislature) has three primary objectives: rigor for students, transparency for parents and the public, and fairness for schools. According to the TEA, this is achieved “through objective measures of student achievements, including state assessments; graduation rates; and college, career and military readiness.”
Alpine ISD marked the most improvement, going from an overall “C” score in 2024 up to a “B” in 2025. Presidio earned a “D” for the second year in a row, following an overall “B” in 2023. And Marfa ISD earned its third “D” in a row, after which the TEA revoked Marfa ISD’s District of Innovation (DOI) designation.
DOIs are a concept introduced by the 84th Legislature designed to allow for some flexibility in TEA code requirements, including exemptions from some state mandates related to student attendance, decision-making processes, academic calendars, and teacher certification requirements. Alpine, Presidio, Fort Davis and other area districts maintain their DOI status.
Marfa teacher arrested
Just after the start of the new school year, Marfa ISD was rocked by its first of two teacher arrests. First, Marfa elementary school educator Rebecca Ontiveros, 25, of Marfa arrested and charged with improper relationship between an educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison. Ontiveros was booked into the Presidio County Jail. She was released on a $75,000 bond.
Ontiveros’ mother is Teresa Nunez, a Marfa ISD School Board member and then-president.
Ontiveros’ arrest sparked public outrage and accusations of nepotism regarding her mother’s place on the school board.
Ontiveros, while out on bond, still awaits indictment.
Another Marfa teacher arrested
Shortly after Ontiveros’ arrest, Marfa ISD teacher Juan Martinez, 54, was arrested and charged with indecency with a child and improper relationship between educator and student, both second-degree felonies.
Martinez worked at Marfa High School as a welding and music instructor. As of press time, he remains in jail and awaits indictment; he was officially terminated by Marfa ISD at a special meeting on December 1.
As news about the arrests at Marfa ISD spread, public outrage persisted and many folks called for Teresa Nunez to step down as board president and brought up concerns about possible nepotism law violations. After at least one heated meeting, she was finally replaced by trustee Philip Boyd as president. Nunez remains on the board.
Marfa ISD hosts Open Forum
In light of the drama surrounding Marfa ISD, Interim Superintendent Arturo Alferez hosted an Open Forum in September to address allegations of teacher misconduct and community concerns. No apologies were offered to the 50-plus crowd for past grievances; instead, Alferez emphasized a “zero-tolerance” policy for reporting complaints and misconduct moving forward and in compliance with new Texas education policy.
Former MISD teacher and newly-appointed Presidio County Commissioner Frank “Buddy” Knight voiced his frustration with the current state of the district and warned there could be dire consequences if things aren’t turned around for the better.
“I think it’s the number one job of everybody at this school to make sure the students are safe,” Knight said “And that has been a failure, obviously. But beyond that, I see a point where if we don’t fix this and control our school district, and I understand your money’s a problem that you shouldn’t have … but if we continue in this direction, we’re looking at losing our school or having the state take it over, and that’s the last thing we want to happen.”
Going forward, Alferez said, the district is implementing a zero-tolerance policy. “When I say zero-tolerance, we are going to investigate everything.”
Alferez ended the discussion with the promise of more open forums in the future. “We want to hear from you. We want to hear your input and your recommendations.”
Alpine teacher awarded Most Outstanding Science Teacher
The West Texas Geology Foundation (WTGF) has named Tracy Hyatt, seventh-grade science and math teacher at Alpine Middle School, as one of nine recipients of its 2024–2025 Most Outstanding Science Teacher (MOST) award.
The award recognizes exceptional science educators across the Region 18 service area of West Texas. At a ceremony last week at Alpine Middle School, Hyatt received a plaque and a $5,000 award in recognition of her exemplary science instruction.
Hyatt exemplifies these qualities daily in her classroom, where she engages students in hands-on, inquiry-based lessons that mirror the real work of scientists. From phenomenon- based warmups to exploratory labs and engineering challenges, she creates experiences that make science meaningful, rigorous, and exciting.