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UCISD plans charter school for language academy




Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District is applying for in-district charter school status from the Texas Education Agency for its planned dual language academy, as approved Monday by the district’s governing board.

A district campus charter school is a designation that the TEA qualifies as a school developed to serve a specific student population with specific programming while improving student learning.

“An in-district charter is completely different than a charter school,” said UCISD Superintendent Hal Harrell, noting that in-district charters are for specific purposes. “Purposes that are creative, purposes that are new and innovative that we can hire teachers specifically to do.

“It’s not part of that charter school system we talk about sometimes,” he said. The academy will also be evaluated using the same standards used with other comprehensive school programs, including the Texas Academic Performance Report, according to the campus charter application. Through the designation, the campus would also be eligible for up to $800,000 in charter school start-up grant funding from the TEA.

An in-district charter school is a school that serves a specific program, such as UCISD’s planned dual language academy, within an existing district.

Students who do not reside within UCISD boundaries can apply to attend the academy.

UCISD’s dual language academy will serve pre-K through sixth-grade students at what is currently Anthon Elementary.

UCISD deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction Michael Rodriguez said the campus charter designation is for a 10-year period.

Mario Ferron Sr., director of bilingual ESL and migrant education for UCISD, is one of the leaders in the in-district charter school initiative.

He has a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction in bilingual studies, and has previously worked with San Antonio ISD to create two in-district charter school dual language academies.

Ferron and Rodriguez said in-district charter schools do not have specific boundaries and are open by application to students who do not live within UCISD’s boundaries.

UCISD will have the ability to prioritize applications for some groups of students such as English learners or UCISD students.

UCISD will still manage the academy, which is set to be led by Abraham Contreras, currently principal at Robb Elementary. The academy will be located at what is currently Anthon Elementary.

The campus will have its own governing board which will serve as the primary governing body for the charter. The board will consist of campus administrators, classroom teachers, staff, and parents, per the campus charter application.

The academy will be an immersive campus where students are instructed in English and Spanish. They will learn to master both languages, fluently speaking, reading, and writing in English and Spanish, per UCISD. The school will serve pre-K through sixth-grade students, with a projected enrollment of 520 students in 2021.