How a South Texas School District Spurred a Massive Turnaround
PREMONT -- After five years of landing on the state’s list of low-performing schools, a tiny South Texas district that drew national headlines for cutting its sports program to ward off closure is now meeting state academic standards.
In addition to overwhelming community buy-in, Eric Ramos, the interim superintendent for the Premont Independent School District, says a unique partnership with Texas A&M University-Kingsville was key to a successful turnaround, resulting in hefty grant dollars and rigorous teacher training and support.
Annual accountability ratings released this week rate the 480-student district as "met standards" for the first time since 2011.
That year, the Texas Education Agency sent a letter to then-Superintendent Ernest Singleton saying that the district 70 miles southwest of Corpus Christi would lose its accreditation and be absorbed into a neighboring district. The reason? Years of financial disarray and lagging academic performance.
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/18/long-struggling-premont-schools-finally-make-mark/