Local superintendents focused on the excellence of their respective school districts during a luncheon event for local businesses.

Garland ISD Superintendent Ricardo Lopez and Wylie ISD Superintendent David Vinson spoke at the Sachse Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Chase Oaks Woodbridge Campus. 

Lopez, closing in on his fifth year as superintendent, said the district has followed the theme of “Be the Light” this school year.

“We felt coming out of COVID, we had to get out of that COVID cloud,” Lopez said. “A lot of us saw the negativity that happens on social media. People just seem to focus on the negative and go through a lot of hardship. The only way to get them out was to be the light, lead with love and carry the torch to make sure that everyone is going to shine.”

In providing background information on the district, Lopez said that GISD’s demographics are urban. Around 75% of its student population is economically disadvantaged and 67% are at-risk, he added.

“We are a high poverty, high minority and high at-risk school district,” Lopez said. “All statistics should tell you that we should not be thriving.”

Despite the conditions stacked against them, the district scored a “B” in the annual Texas Education Agency accountability ratings, said Lopez, but they fell just short of an “A” rating.

“We were really hard on ourselves and said we really should have gotten an ‘A,’” Lopez said. 

However, the district also compared itself to similar districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with at least 25,000 students and a student population where 50% are economically disadvantaged. Among those groups, the district finished at the top of the pack, said Lopez.

“When you start talking about the high impact and high performance, you should be very proud because the school district is competing at the highest levels,” Lopez said. 

For the full story, see the Nov. 17 issue of The Sachse News.