Presidio
In a drawn-out Presidio ISD School Board meeting on January 21, the board approved three new course tracts and a theater elective for high school students. The course tracts in aviation, cybersecurity and gaming will expand the career training opportunities offered in the district.
The board approval allows the district to explore student interest, hiring and other costs, it does not guarantee the programs. The courses would be pathway programs that will take three years to build and will be offered to freshmen.
Concerns about cost were mitigated by the fact that career training courses are supported by funding from the state to prepare students for the workforce. The three course tracts were carefully selected to give kids experience with computer coding that will allow them access to high-paying jobs in growing technical fields. The average salary for a gaming engineer in Texas is $140,000 according to ZipRecruiter, or nearly three times the average salary in town.
“We’re behind in these three courses,” said ISD Superintendent Carmen Rubner. “This would allow us to hire staff and give our students different opportunities.” Presidio also offers career training in culinary arts.
Students participating in that program gifted board members with charcuterie boards including an artful spread of salami, pepperoni, olives, raspberries and chocolate, and parsnips and tomatoes from the kitchen garden.
“It’s just to get people hyped up,” one of the presenting students said shyly, forgetting to give her name. The students praised the work of Denise Greene, the culinary arts teacher who has expanded the program recently to give real world experience to students who want to work in restaurants.
The talents of local students are not to be underestimated. In February, the Mexican consulate will be displaying winners of a global children’s drawing contest around town. Seven of the selected 50 winners were from Presidio, the highest percentage of any consulate.
The art departments in the high school and elementary school have been involved in a weeks-long cross-school project involving drawings of fourth graders being made into clay sculptures by high schoolers. The creative collaboration resulted in an impressive series of 68 adorable creatures that had proud backstories to go along with them.
The University Interscholastic League teams notched wins at the Monahans invitational and will proceed to the district competition in March. The math and science teams at the high school level placed first overall, and the elementary program has also been in first place within the district.
“These teams don’t always get recognition and crowds like sports, but you should still take pride in the achievement in the classroom,” said Board Member Jeremy Velasquez
On Thursday, January 27, it is switch day in the district, where students will dress as teachers and teachers as students. The switch will happen ahead of a Friday pep rally where the homecoming court will be announced.
The board meeting concluded with an extended closed-door session to evaluate the performance of Rubner, who was elected superintendent in 2024. No update was offered from that session. The next board meeting will convene in February and will address the new Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. The law is under injunction as it faces legal challenges from families arguing that it violates the first amendment.