Small World: Former San Perlita superintendent to head BISD's Pace Cluster

After stints as superintendent in San Perlita and his hometown Santa Rosa, Carlos Guerra has taken over as the Brownsville Independent School District's area assistant superintendent for the Pace High School cluster of schools.

The job is roughly equivalent to being superintendent of a small district like the two he guided before coming to BISD. The cluster includes Pace and the two middle schools that feed it, Stell and Stillman, as well as the seven elementaries that in turn feed them.

"It's essentially a 5-A district and I hope to increase the graduation rate first of all, reduce the dropout rate and improve on the TAKS scores," Guerra said last week.

Guerra takes over for Brett Springston, who recently was named assistant superintendent for operations.

He said an important first task will be to identify any areas of weakness and "what we need to do to improve those. Do we need to move people around to where they can contribute the most," he asked.

Another key job will be motivating students and teachers.

"Those that do want to learn are easy to teach," he said. "A lot has to do with the teacher. It all depends on how well the teacher gets the lessons across."

Guerra, who began his career as a classroom teacher in La Feria and later became a principal there, said one of the most important things he learned "is that you need to make the student feel important. ... Greet them when you see them. ... Take an interest in their lives."

He said he hopes to replicate an approach he used to good success in La Feria, where as principal he would keep tabs on students by periodically coming to class and personally checking on their report cards.

"I had good results in La Feria with that because they knew the principal would be checking and it raised their level of concern a little bit," Guerra said. "I'm going to ask my principals to do the same thing.

"We need to let the students know that somebody cares, that somebody is interested in them and cares about their lives and what they're going to become."

Guerra, a former migrant farmworker, holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Texas A&I University, now Texas A&M University at Kingsville, and a master's of education in school administration and a mid-management certificate from the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg. He has completed the necessary coursework for superintendent certification at Texas A&M-Kingsville and has a temporary superintendent's certificate.

Guerra said he is glad to be in Brownsville and looks forward to working with BISD staff and students.

"I have been made to feel very welcome to the district," he said. "It's a good time to be here in Brownsville.

In recent weeks, BISD has made a number of administrative moves, among them:

- Karin Treviño, formerly assistant principal to Paredes Elementary, becomes principal at Sharp Elementary.

- Former Sharp principal Mario Rodriguez becomes principal at Faulk Middle School.

- Former Faulk principal Christian Calderara becomes a curriculum specialist in physical education after Marilyn Mitton retired.

- George Saavadra, administrator for professional development, will become administrator for guidance and counseling.

- Lucy Green, former principal of Gallegos Elementary, will assume the position of administrator for professional development.

- Roni Rentfro will serve as principal for Brownsville Early College High School. She was formerly the administrator for grants.

- Norma Linda Gallegos will serve as principal for Gallegos Elementary, which is named for her father Ruben Gallegos.

- The administrator for grants position is vacant and will be posted and advertised.

- Earlier in the summer BISD trustees named Minnie Zamora as admissions/attendance administrator after Sylvia Perez retired.