Tag Archives: canutillo

On Thursday, Canutillo Independent School District announced a new partnership with GameSalad for Education and the Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) to expand computer science education to its middle school students over the next five years.

Canutillo Middle School currently uses the GameSalad curriculum to introduce its 6th grade students to STEM and computer science concepts and education.

After completing the GameSalad course, last year’s 6th grade cohort showed a 3% increase in combined Meets and Masters scores on the STAAR Math exam.

Canutillo ISD secured a grant of $42,646 from CREEED, a not-for-profit education policy and advocacy group focused on creating measurable outcomes and dedicated to closing the achievement gap for El Paso County students, which will allow them to expand this program to all its 7th and 8th grade students by the 2020-2021 school year.

GameSalad for Education is a STEM education partner dedicated to engaging all students in computer science by empowering them to design, program, and create their own professional grade mobile games.

“GameSalad encourages students to develop their computational and critical thinking skills which align with the district’s STEM initiatives,” said Dr. Pedro Galaviz, Canutillo ISD Superintendent. “CREEED’s generous grant jump starts the expansion of this program and supports Canutillo’s ongoing commitment to provide STEM opportunities for our students.”

Exponential growth of jobs in the technology sector relative to the number of qualified candidates has created a need for rapid advances in STEM education in the United States.

Studies project that by 2020 there will be 1 million more jobs in computer science than U.S. computer science students. Innovation is outpacing the skills & knowledge we are transferring to our nation’s students.

“We are excited to be bringing world class computer science instruction to the students of Canutillo and offer them the capability to be strong participants in the 21st century economy,” said Brent Dusing, GameSalad CEO. “We are honored to be working with CREEED, who are fantastic visionaries for the transformation of El Paso.”

Though many districts are aware of the importance of STEM and computer science, they face barriers to implementing appropriate programs for their students. Underfunding, lack of teachers, and lack of student interest all play a role in preventing successful implementation of computer science education programs.

“CREEED made a commitment to increase educational attainment throughout the El Paso region on a scalable basis by investing in school district initiatives that move the needle on student outcomes and prepares them for the future of work,” said Eddie Rodriguez, CREEED Executive Director.

“Canutillo’s decision to bring in a new innovative model into its middle school classrooms has not only improved math outcomes for students, but is setting them up to enter a growing job market in the tech field. It is also preparing students effectively for post-secondary education, placing them in a position to graduate high school College Ready. We look forward to funding more innovative proven programs like this in El Paso.”

The Texas Association of School Boards recently announced the selection of Canutillo Independent School District Board President Blanca S. Trout to take part in the 2019 Leadership TASB program.

“Leadership TASB is the premier leadership program in the state for school trustees, and I am honored to have been selected to represent Canutillo and the El Paso region,” Board President Trout said.

Trout added, “Board members have the large responsibility of setting policies and procedures that impact the lives of students, and this program will help me and other board members reach our goals.”

Board President Trout will join trustees from throughout the state in a year-long program designed to help experienced board members develop the leadership qualities necessary to lead Texas public school districts.

Class members are selected for demonstrated leadership in their local district and communities and for their representation of the diversity of Texas school districts.

According to her biography on the Canutillo ISD Website, President Trout attended EPCC, holds an Associate’s degree in Business Administration, is a business owner, and was recently appointed as Vice-Chair of the El Paso County Republican Party.

The Hanks Knights played host to the Canutillo Eagles Friday night for a crucial week four battle.

Our very own Kevin Venegas was there and brings you his view of the game in this ‘Story in Many Pics.’

In today’s Local Yelp, we’re taking you on a trip to the far Westside… Canutillo to be exact. Consider this your guide to some of our favorite eats in this sleepy town on the outskirts of the Sun City!

Peppe’s Restaurant (Mexican)
6761 Doniphan Dr
Chuck H. wrote: “A really nice place for simple, down-to-earth Mexican style meal. Simple goodness at its finest. The menu is very diverse and the tempurature is very nice… This is the kind of local place that out of town visitors want to know about.”

What is Yelp? Yelp is a website and mobile app that connects people to great local businesses! Find more local favorites now!

Again our very own Andres Acosta was moving through the Borderland, documenting the region’s interesting match ups for week 5 of the high school football season. Check out all the action from Canutillo at Del Valle, as well as Andress at El Paso.

Last week during the March 22 Regular Board Meeting, the CISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved an item to create a CISD Police Department as part of CISD’s commitment to providing the safest and most secure environments for its students, faculty, staff and visitors.

“There is a big difference between having a recognized police department versus having a fully staffed and equipped police force,” said Dr. Pedro Galaviz, Superintendent of CISD. “We currently employ a variety of security officers and uniformed police officers to patrol our campuses and administrative buildings each day. The decision to outsource our uniformed police officers is not going to change anytime soon as our district budget does not currently allow us to purchase and support everything that a fully staffed police department needs. I appreciate the efforts of the CISD Administration and the Board of Trustees for allowing Canutillo to have this opportunity,” said Dr. Galaviz.

This decision was a preliminary first step to submit an application to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) to obtain the state’s accreditation for the Canutillo Independent School District Police Department.

Once CISD receives this accreditation, the district can then apply for a variety of federal, state or foundation grants that will allow CISD to augment the current or future police services and equipment offered to the district. This could include surveillance cameras, educational initiatives, and law enforcement equipment.

This application process will take approximately three months at a minimal cost to the District.

During Tuesday night’s Canutillo Independent School District (CISD) Board of Trustees meeting, the Board unanimously approved the 2015-2016 Property Tax Rate.

The tax rate is set at $1.53 per $100 of valuation, which is the same rate used last year. This rate includes $1.17 for Maintenance and Operations (M&O) and $0.36 for Interest and Sinking (I&S), otherwise known as Debt Service.

Despite an increase in average appraised values, CISD also expects that the average homeowner within the district will pay less taxes, due to a pending increase in the Homestead Exemption that Texas voters will determine in November.

If the measure passes, the Homestead Exemption will increase from $15,000 to $25,000, resulting in an average annual decrease of $113 to CISD homeowners.

“Despite the fact that our district is growing and the opening of a new elementary campus, we are pleased that our diligent planning and cost saving measures will not translate into an increase of taxes for our local tax payers.” said Dr. Pedro Galavíz, Superintendent of CISD.

Dr. Galaviz added, “We are focused on becoming the region’s premier school district, and I invite everyone to consider becoming part of our family either as students, employees or partners in education.”

In related news, CISD is experiencing a slight increase in enrollment compared to last year’s enrollment of 5,977 students, which is triggering the need to hire additional teachers and support personnel including teachers, custodians and substitute teachers.

All current job openings and application requirements are available on the CISD website at www.canutillo-isd.org within the Human Resources Department page.