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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Vision Academy of Excellence in the Edinburg |
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Consolidated Independent School District has helped 135 |
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nontraditional students earn their high school diplomas since it |
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opened in January 2010; and |
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WHEREAS, Created by district superintendent Dr. Rene |
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Gutierrez, the Vision Academy of Excellence was founded to assist |
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students in mastering the competencies they need to graduate and to |
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provide an alternative for those whose schooling was interrupted; |
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as part of a "no excuses" philosophy, administrators utilize |
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district lists of students who have stopped attending class and |
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make home visits to inform those individuals of the Vision Academy |
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and how it can help them to earn needed course credits or to pass |
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state proficiency tests; and |
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WHEREAS, The second graduating class at the academy received |
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diplomas on January 27, 2011; 92 students, twice the number from the |
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previous year, fulfilled the graduation requirements despite the |
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challenges they faced; and |
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WHEREAS, Currently about 142 students are enrolled at the |
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school, ranging in age from 18 to 25, and nearly 40 percent have |
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children of their own; academy director Nelda Garza and her staff |
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collaborate with ECISD team parent staff, Communities in Schools, |
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Workforce Solutions, and the United Way to connect students to |
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child care and other resources; and |
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WHEREAS, The academy achieves positive results by fostering a |
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personalized approach to education and by offering flexible hours |
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and scheduling and small class sizes; school district |
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administrators have applied for grants, including from the |
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organization Jobs for the Future, in hopes of increasing the number |
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of students the academy serves; and |
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WHEREAS, Public education is an endeavor in which all Texans |
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have a stake, and the dedicated work of the faculty and staff of the |
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Vision Academy of Excellence is changing many lives for the better; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the Vision Academy of Excellence in the |
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Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District for helping |
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nontraditional students to graduate from high school and extend |
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sincere best wishes to all those associated with the campus for |
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continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the academy as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |