San Antonio Independent School District

1875-????, C. Plagge

1919-1923, Annie Webb Blanton

1946-1963, Thomas B. Portwood

1994-1998, Dr. Diana Lam

1998-1999, Dr. David F. Splitek (Interim)

1999-2006, Dr. Rubén D. Olivárez

2006-2012, Dr. Robert Duron

2012-2015, Dr. Sylvester Perez (Interim/Permanent)

2015-Present, Pedro Martinez

2010-11 President, James Howard Vice-President, Carlos Villarreal Secretary, Thomas C. Lopez Asst. Secretary, Olga Hernandez Member, Ruben D. Cuero Member, Adela R. Segovia Member, Ed Garza

2011-12 President, James Howard Vice-President, Carlos Villarreal Secretary, Adela R. Segovia Asst. Secretary, Olga Hernandez Member, Ruben D. Cuero Member, Ed Garza Member, Patti Radle

2012-13 President, Ed Garza Vice-President, Ruben D. Cuero Secretary, Olga Hernandez Asst. Secretary, Adela R. Segovia Member, Debra Guerrero Member, James Howard Member, Patti Radle

2013-14 President, Ed Garza Vice-President, Olga Hernandez Secretary, Arthur V. Valdez Asst. Secretary, James Howard Member, Debra Guerrero Member, Steve Lecholop Member, Patti Radle

2019-20 President, Patti Radle Vice-President, Arthur V. Valdez Secretary, Debra Guerrero Asst. Secretary, Steve Lecholop Member, Alicia M. Perry Member, Christina Martinez Member, Ed Garza

Next Elections 2021 Districts 1,3,4,7 2023 Districts 2,5,6

While San Antonio public schools were established by the City Council in 1854, it wasn't until May 2, 1899 that the school system became an independent district with the formation of its own Board of Trustees. San Antonio ISD received its first charter from the state of Texas in 1903.[5]

One of San Antonio's most outstanding assets is the preservation of its historic sites and neighborhoods, most of which are found within SAISD. All have strong, active neighborhood associations.

SAISD is the tenth-largest public employer in San Antonio, with more than 7,000 employees serving about 49,000 students. The District’s resources consist of local, state, and federal revenue.[6]

Local revenue consists primarily of property taxes and also includes local grant donations. State revenue accounts for the District’s largest share of revenue and is mainly driven by Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and the District’s total property value. Federal revenue is a minor component of the operating budget but the major source of revenue for the Food Service Fund and is driven by the number of meals served and the number of students who qualify for the free- and reduced-price lunch program.[7]

In January 2016, Superintendent Pedro Martinez unveiled the SAISD Blueprint for Excellence: Target 2020, a five-year plan with 10 academic goals. The plan is supported by five pillars: Academic Excellence, Talent Management, Culture Shift, Stakeholder Engagement and Fiscal Management. The blueprint was developed with a long-term perspective and inclusive of the input of external institutions and organizations, as well as internal feedback.

The District set in motion the strategies outlined in the plan, and began to see a continued upward trajectory with strong gains in academic achievement. SAISD received an overall grade of a "B" rating through the accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency for the 2018-2019 school year. This rating measures how well the District prepared students for success, both in school and after high school in college, a career, or the military.[8]

The District was involved directly in the San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez Supreme Court case and indirectly in the United States v. Lopez Supreme Court case.

In the 2016-2017 school year, about 5,050 students went from SAISD to charter schools, and in the last part of the 2017-2018 school year that number increased to about 10,100, while about 200 students living in SAISD were in other school districts. For the 2018-2019 school year the district ended the employment of 132 teachers over budget cuts, and budget was reduced by 6%, totaling $31 million. By 2018, in a response to a decline in enrollment, the district repurposed several campuses as magnet schools or specialty schools to attract parents who would otherwise put their children in private school.[9]

As of 2018 91% of the students are considered low income. As of that year, people transferring from other school districts to SAISD tended to live in more upscale communities.[9]

All San Antonio ISD students are required to wear school uniforms. Students are required to wear white collared shirts and khaki bottoms. They are also permitted to wear polo shirts with their schools' colors.[10] The Texas Education Agency specifies that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.[11]

• List of school districts in Texas

• San Antonio ISD