Dear SAISD Staff:

I am so proud of how the San Antonio, state and national communities respect and admire the strides this district has made to becoming a national model urban school district. I am confident your expertise and talents will keep advancing this district to even greater heights. You have strong leaders in the Board of Trustees, who in turn, value you for the leaders you are. 

In this last letter to you, I want to thank you for the past six years, and the milestones we hit together.

Collectively, we shifted the culture of this district. Across SAISD, children are seen from an asset-based perspective. In every classroom we see students’ potential, in every child we see promise, and in the numbers we see success. We are seeing record numbers of students going to great colleges and universities and earning the scholarships to make this possible. Our dual language opportunities continue to grow and our college and career readiness has never been stronger. 

When SAISD earned a B rating in 2019 from the Texas Education Agency, Commissioner Mike Morath personally traveled to our district, and while standing in Schenck Elementary School, he publicly celebrated with us for having gained the most in student achievement among every single large school district in the state. Every high school was on track to earning a B or higher, and it was a proud moment for all of us. Although COVID-19 has since presented challenges, I know that with the depth of your talent and the strength of your leadership, you will remain on track to becoming an A district.

Together, we have aligned our strategies to ensure our children experience strong academics. Students have increased access to Advanced Placement courses, dual credit opportunities, and the International Baccalaureate curriculum. We are seeing a record number of students receiving college credit and industry certifications before they even graduate from high school. And the foundation for this success begins with our youngest learners – with an extremely strong early childhood program.

Know that you are supported by a financially strong district. Because of a community that believes in you, we passed a $1.3 billion bond program with overwhelming support – the largest in district and city history. This, in combination with our 2016 bond, puts us on a path to modernizing our campuses and classrooms. Our high schools are scheduled to be fully renovated by the end of this school year. Additionally, we have a solid balance sheet and money in reserves. And we also have four years of federal funding to ensure our students don’t lose academic momentum because of the pandemic.

Because of your hard work and efforts, we have managed this pandemic well, even gaining positive national attention for the protocols we’ve put in place to keep our students and staff as healthy as possible. We are following the safest trifecta of masking, weekly COVID-19 testing, and vaccinations – and I can’t thank you enough for your support in protecting our community.

All of the above would not have been possible without your leadership at every level of this district. The Trustees and I see you as champions. Parents see you as champions. Your community sees you as champions. We all see you passionately fighting for our children. The work continues, and not only will you carry on, but you will thrive. With a strong Board at the helm, you are a formidable team, and this is very evident in the milestones achieved in just a few years. You have made me very proud to have been your superintendent.

I know there are even greater milestones ahead for you, and I will always be watching in admiration.

Sincerely,
Pedro