Featured: Annual school supply giveaways that will provide learning materials, ranging from pens and pencils to paper erasers and notebooks, will take place on Friday, August 17, 2018 for students served by the Edinburg Housing Authority, and on Saturday, August 18, 2018, for students who live in Elsa, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg has announced. Featured, from left, are: J.J. Rodríguez, CEO and Counselor at A Vision for You Help Center; Rodolfo “Rudy” Ramírez, Executive Director, Edinburg Housing Authority; and Alex Ríos, District Director for Canales.
Photograph Courtesy EDINBURG HOUSING AUTHORITY
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Rep. Canales, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, AT&T, Pepsico, Walmart, and A Vision For You Help Center among supporters for school supply giveaways in Edinburg and Elsa on August 17, 18
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]
An annual school supply giveaway that will provide learning materials, ranging from pens and pencils to paper erasers and notebooks, will take place on Friday, August 17, 2018 for students served by the Edinburg Housing Authority, and on Saturday, August 18, 2018, for students who live in Elsa, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg has announced.
Canales represents the majority of Edinburg and all of Elsa in his House District 40 legislative district.
J.J. Rodríguez, CEO and Counselor at A Vision for You Help Center, is serving as a partner with Canales for the Friday, August 17, 2018 school supplies giveaway benefitting Edinburg Housing Authority students.
A Vision for You Help Center is a 501c3 nonprofit faith-based program, located at 900 S. Veterans Blvd. in Edinburg, that provides chemical dependency counseling for any individual experiencing setbacks in their well deserved life.
Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, AT&T, and Pepsico are the title sponsors for the Edinburg Housing Authority event, with Walgreens, Magic Valley Electric Cooperative, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the Texas Land Commission also providing valuable support.
J.D. Salinas, III, a former Hidalgo County county judge who served from 2006 to 2009, will be among the South Texas community and business leaders who will be participating in the school supply giveaways with Canales.
“As the famous saying goes, ‘It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts’, and a solid education will guarantee our students a great future,” said Salinas, who currently serves as Director of External Affairs at A&T in San Antonio. “One of the most important lessons we want these young people to learn is that they are the most valuable treasure for our society, and we are here to help them in every way possible.”
In Elsa, their event on Saturday, August 18, 2018, will take place at Elsa City Hall, located at 102 Diana Street, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The student must be present and accompanied by an adult, and they must bring a water bill to prove the students do live in Elsa.
Walmart, the City of Elsa, the City of Elsa Economic Development Corporation, and Rotary International are serving as sponsors for that local school supply giveaway.
For more information about the school supplies giveaway in Elsa, residents may contact Jessica Garza at 262-2127.
“Throughout the state and nation, many families simply don’t have enough resources to properly provide the school supplies needed for their children,” the state lawmaker reflected. “It is very expensive for all families to prepare their children for the school year. But through the love and caring that our residents and businesses have for our communities and for our youth, these acts of kindness are investments in all of our future and well-being.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that Canales has led school supply giveaways for students in his legislative district, which also includes Faysville, La Blanca, Linn, Lópezville, McAllen, Pharr, San Carlos and Weslaco.
During the previous three years, more than two thousand backpacks with school supplies have been donated to House District 40 students.
“During most of that time, our non-profit partner has been J.J. Rodríguez,” Canales noted. “Over the years, Mr. Rodríguez has gone out of his way to support our efforts to ensure that more children start school with the supplies they need. Thank you, J.J. for your help.”
Canales added that students who receive the backpacks with school supplies are the ones who are doing society the real favor.
“There is nothing shameful about needing help,” Canales reflected. “By receiving these school supplies, they will do better in school, and it shows the world that Valley students want a great education. We’re here to give our students some of the tools to help them achieve their goals and dreams.”
This year, each student will get a backpack approved by the school districts, which means it is clear or mesh. In the backpack will be supplies to get a child started out for the year: pencils, folders, notebooks, tissues, glue sticks, erasers, pencil case, rulers, colored pencils and crayons.
“A society is judged by its treatment of its most vulnerable members. If you have the ability to help out your community, you should,” Canales continued. “In South Texas, we represent the most noble ideals of our great nation.”
EDINBURG CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT EARNS TOP FINANCIAL RATING FOR 16TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently announced that the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District’s Finance Department earned an “A” or Superior rating in financial accountability for the 2017-2018 school year.
“For 16 consecutive years, our Finance Department has received this prestigious award, which is the highest rating possible. We congratulate the hard-working financial staff for this outstanding achievement,” ECISD Superintendent Dr. René Gutiérrez said. “Year after year, we are proving to our school community that we maintain financial responsibility and transparency. We take care of our taxpayers’ dollars.”
According to TEA, the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) is designed to encourage public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.
Ratings for the 2017-2018 school year are based on annual financial reports provided to TEA by districts and charter schools for the 2017 fiscal year. The financial accountability system requires TEA to review the audited financial reports from all districts and charters.
A school district or open-enrollment charter is assigned one of four possible letter grades (A, B, C or F), as well as a coinciding financial management rating (Superior, Above Standard Achievement, Meets Standard or Substandard Achievement).
To review the preliminary 2017-2018 FIRST ratings for all districts and charters, visit the TEA website at:
http://tea.texas.gov/index4.aspx?id=3864.
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Romeo Cantú contributed to this article. Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, represents House District 40 in Hidalgo County. HD 4o includes portions or all of Edinburg, Elsa, Faysville, La Blanca, Linn, Lópezville, McAllen, Pharr, San Carlos and Weslaco. He may be reached at his House District Office in Edinburg at (956) 383-0860 or at the Capitol at (512) 463-0426.
