Reprint from the Progress Times - January 11, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

 

Changes coming to MCISD attendance zones

The addition of Escobar/Rios Elementary School at 2 1/4 Mile N. Trosper Road and R. Cantu Junior High School at Stewart and Four Mile have created the need for a few shifts in attendance zones at Mission Consolidated Independent School District (MCISD). The Mission CISD board of trustees is expected to vote on changes to the attendance zones in February. Prior to that, district officials are planning to hold meeting to share the proposed changes with parents in the near future.

Mission CISD will be moving all sixth grade students to the junior high/middle schools beginning with the 2008-2009 school year. The district is currently among only a handful in South Texas that has not adopted a three-grade level configuration for those schools. The district’s elementary schools will consist of grades pre-k through fifth.

The goal of the attendance changes is to alleviate overcrowding at some of the schools in the district. Currently, there are 9,372 students enrolled in Mission CISD Elementary Schools district-wide. O’Grady tops the list with 989 students.

MCISD Superintendent Oscar Rodriguez said the changes will help the district make better use of their resources and personnel.

"Moving the sixth grade students to the junior high/middle schools should greatly benefit the students," said Rodriguez. "It will allow for much better course and curriculum alignment and integration.

It will also give the junior high campuses another important year to work with the students prior to taking the 8th grade TAKS test that will have an increasingly important role in the future."

The opening of the new elementary school will primarily impact the attendance zones for four existing elementary schools. The largest impact will be felt at O’Grady Elementary, a campus that will send over 300 students who live in the northern areas of the existing attendance zones to the new elementary campus. There are currently over 1,000 students attending O’Grady. The other impacted Elementary schools in the proposed attendance zone changes are Cantu Elementary, Cavazos Elementary and Waitz Elementary.

A small change is being proposed that would impact students living in the Madero area east of Conway Avenue. Those students would attend Castro Elementary in 2008-2009. They had been zoned to attend Leal Elementary in the past. This change will allow for a smoother transition as students advance to Mission Junior High and Veterans Memorial High School.

The proposed attendance zone for Cantu Elementary will be from the intersection of Los Ebanos Road and Mile 7 Road, east on Mile 7 Road to Trosper Road; south on Trosper Road to  Mile 6 Road; east on Mile 6 Road to Conway Avenue; south on Conway Avenue to 4 1/4 mile line; west on 4 1/4 mile line to Los Ebanos Road; north on Los Ebanos Road to Mile 7 Road.

The attendance zone for Castro Elementary will be from the intersection of Conway Avenue and Business Highway 83, east on Business Highway 83 to Bryan Road; south on an extension of Bryan Road to the Rio Grande River; west along the Rio Grande River to an extension of Conway Avenue; north on an extension of Conway Avenue to Business Highway 83.

The attendance zone for Cavazos Elementary will be from the intersection of Inspiration Road and Mile 8 Road, east on Mile 8 Road to Los Ebanos Road; south on Los Ebanos Road to Mile 3 Road, west on Mile 3 Road to Inspiration Road; north on Inspiration Road to Mile 8 Road.

The attendance zone for Escobar/Rios Elementary will be from the intersection of the Mission Lateral (1 1/2 mile line) and Inspiration Road, east along the Mission Lateral to Los Ebanos Road; north on Los Ebanos Road to Mile 3 Road; east on Mile 3 Road to Conway Avenue; south on Conway Avenue to the Edinburg Main Canal; west along the Edinburg main canal to Los Ebanos Road; south on Los Ebanos Road to Griffin Parkway; west on Griffin Parkway to Inspiration Road; north on Inspiration Road to the Mission Lateral.

The attendance zone for Leal Elemenatary will be from the intersection of Inspiration Road and Expressway 83, east on Expressway 83 to Conway Avenue; south on an extension of Conway Avenue to the Rio Grande River; west along the Rio Grande River to an extension of Inspiration Road; north on an extension of Inspiration Road to Expressway 83.

The attendance zone for Marcell Elementary will be from the intersection of Inspiration Road and Barnes Street, east on Barnes Street to Adams Street; north on Adams Street to an extension of West 18th Street; east on West 18th Street to the canal; northwest along the canal to Rankin Street; east on Rankin Street to Holland Avenue; north on Holland Avenue to West 20th Street, east on West 20th Street to Conway Avenue; south on Conway Avenue to Business Highway 83; west on Business Highway 83 to Inspiration Road; north on Inspiration Road to Barnes Street.

The attendance zone for O’Grady Elementary will be from the intersection of Inspiration Road and Griffin Parkway, east on Griffin Parkway to Los Ebanos Road; north on Los Ebanos Road to the Edinburg Main Canal; east along the Edinburg Main Canal to Conway Avenue; south on Conway Avenue to West 20th Street; west on West 20th Street to Holland Avenue; south on Holland Avenue to Rankin Street; west on Rankin Street to the canal; southeast along the canal to an extension of West 18th Street; west on an extension of West 18th Street to Adams Street; south on Adams Street to Barnes Street; west on Barnes Street to Inspiration Road; north on Inspiration Road to Griffin Parkway.

The attendance zone for Waitz Elementary will be from the intersection of Inspiration Road and Mile 3 Road, east on Mile 3 Road to Los Ebanos Road; north on Los Ebanos Road to 4 1/4 mile line; east on 4 1/4 mile line to Conway Avenue; south on Conway Avenue to Mile 3 Road; west on Mile 3 Road to Los Ebanos Road; south on Los Ebanos Road to the Mission Lateral (1 1/2 mile line); west along the Mission Lateral to Inspiration Road; north on Inspiration Road to Mile 3 Road.

According to Rodriguez, all of this is being done in an effort to disrupt the students and parents as little as possible.

"I know that it has been challenging for the students and staff at O’Grady and perhaps a little trying at times as their numbers grew over the years," said Rodriguez. "Thanks to the community support of the 2006 bond issue, the district will be able to provide them with some relief as we enter the next school year. I also know that these types of changes will be somewhat unsettling for some parents. We are aware of that and have kept that in mind in coming up with the proposals.