Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – Two Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA ISD) campuses going through a redesign presented their intention to focus on healthcare, and business and energy during a school board meeting held Feb. 21.
PSJA Collegiate High School Program will become the PSJA Collegiate School of Health Professions serving as the district’s first 6th-12th grade Early College campus. The school will start this transition by recruiting a limited cohort of 6th grade and 9th grade students for the 2022-2023 school year.
PSJA Elvis J. Ballew will also transition to a School of Business and Energy offering this new specialized focus for interested families in the area. Designated as a Pathways in Technology Early College High School, PSJA Ballew will serve 9th-12th grade students, and will start recruitment for their first 9th grade cohort to begin next school year. Both schools will add a grade level each year.
PSJA Collegiate School of Health Professions will focus on educating the next generation of healthcare and medical professionals, helping address projected critical shortages in the workforce. Similarly, PSJA Ballew will aim to address the high demand of professionals in the business and energy fields in the Rio Grande Valley.
“Through the new school designs, we will be helping to educate and develop the next generation of professionals to help address the critical shortage of these high-demand professions,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo.
In addition to conducting a comprehensive needs assessment of the region’s employment needs, and high demand careers, focus groups consisting of PSJA ISD parents, students, and staff, also helped prioritize these fields as an area of interest for families.
“We are excited to add these two unique campuses to our Portfolio of Schools at PSJA ISD,” said PSJA School Board President Rick Pedraza. “This is part of our efforts to provide life-changing opportunities for our students while also doing our part to help address global demand.”
