BISD deputy superintendent to lead Mercedes district

Beto D. Gonzalez, the Brownsville Independent School District's deputy superintendent since August 2007, has signed a contract to become superintendent of the Mercedes Independent School District.

Gonzalez begins work in Mercedes on Wednesday, becoming the second upper-tier BISD administrator leave the district for a superintendent's job elsewhere at the end of this month.

Salvador Cavazos, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, also begins work Wednesday as superintendent of the Alice Independent School District.

Gonzalez, represented BISD on the Select Committee for Public School Accountability while the Legislature was out of session last year. The committee's recommendations helped craft state House Bill 3, which if passed by the Legislature would make numerous changes to the state's public education accountability system and would revise current grade promotion standards and procedures.

During hearings last summer, parents and groups across the state complained about students being retained in fifth and eighth grades - and some not allowed to graduate from high school - for not passing the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

H.B.3 guidelines "give students and schools credit for growth," Gonzalez said, characterizing the approach as "more carrots and less sticks."

Gonzalez also spearheaded BISD's preparation for site visits after the district became a finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education and headed up the district's application for the CUBE national school board governance award.

BISD won both awards, the CUBE being the nation's top prize for school boards and the Broad Prize the most prestigious and most lucrative for academic improvement. By winning the Broad Prize, BISD qualified for $1 million in scholarships for its 2009 graduates.

"It was an honor for me to be part of those awards," Gonzalez said. "They were clearly well deserved and indicative of the outstanding work of our board and the efforts of our students, teachers and principals."

He said a large part of BISD's success stems from the fact that "resources follow the needs of our kids. We're student-focused, data-driven and results oriented - and this leads to effective learning."

In Mercedes, Gonzalez said he plans "to do my best to propagate the successful practices of this district," adding that he's looking forward to the challenges of his new job.

Gonzalez becomes Mercedes' fourth superintendent in about five years. He replaces Walter Watson, who will reassume his position with the district as its federal programs director.