Edinburg CISD Board Reports STAAR Accountability Gains, Puts Santa Cruz Ranch Land Sale Back Out for Bid
Edinburg, Edinburg CISD, Board of Trustees, STAAR, Forensic Audit, Santa Cruz Ranch, Fern McClarty
Staff Report
Edinburg TX – The Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees met Sept. 8, receiving a report on the district’s 2025-26 STAAR accountability results, approving the solicitation of qualifications for an independent forensic audit, and ultimately voting to put a proposed land sale out for public bid rather than finalizing a direct sale.
STAAR Accountability Report
Instructional staff presented the district’s 2025-26 A-F accountability results, reporting an overall district score of 85, up two points from the previous year, moving the district’s letter grade from a C to a B in one component and reflecting broader gains across the district’s three accountability domains: student achievement (80), school progress (86), and closing the gaps (82).
Presenters said 14% of campuses improved their rating from the prior year, 63% remained the same, and 23% declined, meaning 77% of campuses maintained or improved their scores. The district reported 19% of campuses earning an A rating this year, compared to a Region One average of 20%.
Staff highlighted Harwell Middle School’s 20-point accountability gain, moving from 69 to 89 with all seven possible distinctions, and B.L. Garza Middle School’s eight-point gain, from 82 to 90, the district’s only secondary campus with an A rating. Esparza Elementary posted a 23-point gain and moved out of the state’s Comprehensive Support and Improvement category, no longer ranking in the bottom 5% of Texas schools for federal accountability targets. Staff also reported that no middle schools remained in school improvement status for the current year, after resetting federal targets districtwide.
The district reported four-year, five-year and six-year graduation rates above the state average and a dropout rate below the state average. According to the presentation, 8.7% of Edinburg CISD graduates earned an associate’s degree, compared to a state average of 3.5%, and 47.4% earned an industry-based certification, compared to a state average of 32.4%.
One board member praised the district’s continued use of its existing math curriculum rather than switching to the state-recommended program. “Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it doesn’t work,” the board member said, noting the district’s third-through-fifth-grade math scores outperformed the region and state.
Board members also raised concerns about elementary students’ written response and keyboarding skills ahead of upcoming assessment changes, urging that writing instruction be reinforced beginning in kindergarten rather than later grades.
Public Comments
Resident Fern McClarty questioned the district’s continued payments to a former superintendent following his retirement, citing contract language stating that the agreement should terminate upon retirement accepted by the board. She also raised questions about transportation department staffing, a district-operated late bus program, and asked who was purchasing a 113.35-acre tract of district-owned land under consideration for sale later in the meeting, saying the sale had moved unusually quickly without being placed on the open market.
Forensic Audit
The board voted to solicit requests for qualifications for an independent forensic audit. Board members discussed extending the audit’s scope back approximately five years to examine the origins of the district’s financial deficit, including prior enrollment projection errors, a compensation increase approved for a former superintendent, an emergency remediation contract with H2O following flooding at Canterbury Elementary, and prior advertising expenditures. The district’s legal counsel noted that a specific audit scope would be determined once a vendor is selected through the qualifications process, since RFQs are evaluated on qualifications alone rather than price.
Santa Cruz Ranch Land Sale
The board initially considered a resolution to authorize the sale of approximately 113.35 acres of a tract known as Santa Cruz Ranch to Rhodes Development, Inc., for the development of low- or moderate-income housing. One board member said the offered price of $52,500 per acre exceeded the property’s appraised value of $32,500 per acre. Another board member objected to the sale, saying the property should have been placed on the open market for a minimum period rather than sold directly, noting the district paid $42,510.71 per acre for a 93.35-acre portion of the tract in 2013 and $46,000 per acre for an additional 40-acre tract in 2017, for a combined purchase price of $5,808,375, according to Hidalgo County records.
The board’s initial motion to approve the resolution died for lack of a second. Following closed session, the board reconsidered the item and voted instead to authorize district administration to solicit bids from the general public for the property over a 45-day period.
Contracts and Purchases
The board approved a consent agenda covering items A through M, and separately approved a proposal with RGV Vocational Staffing, LLC; the purchase of classroom and office furniture; and contract renewals covering instructional materials, software and equipment ($700,000); air conditioning and refrigeration supplies; safety supplies and equipment; retail, general merchandise and grocery store purchases ($135,000); and fence supplies.
Personnel Actions
Following closed session, the board approved the superintendent’s recommendations regarding employment, resignations, retirements and non-renewals. The board also approved the proposed terminations of at-will employees Joaquin Alba, David Rodriguez Lopez and Yadira Garza Galvan.
Source – Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting, Sept. 8, 2026