The Socorro Independent School District proudly participated in the Second Annual Summit on Building a Child-Friendly El Paso, a collaborative event focused on promoting child well-being, safety, education and opportunities in the El Paso region.
Hosted by the City of El Paso, the summit brought together local leaders, including U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar and El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson, along with business and civic leaders, non-profit organizations and school superintendents at the Starlight Event Center on Oct. 29. The event introduced a framework aimed at prioritizing child well-being in local policies and planning, as part of El Paso's larger initiative to become a UNICEF Child-Friendly City.
SISD Superintendent James Vasquez joined a panel of local leaders and emphasized the importance of long-term planning. He said by sharing SISD’s 10-year plan and understanding the city’s plans, the district aims to better prepare students for the future workforce, particularly as new industries such as aerospace and healthcare come to El Paso.
“If we work together, we're better able to work with our students to provide a better education that's going to help the economic prosperity of El Paso,” Vasquez said. “If we know what industries are going to be coming to the city, then we can better prepare our students.”
He also highlighted the benefits of having business leaders provide internships and externships for students and encouraging teachers to engage with industry leaders in the community.
The summit highlighted education as an essential factor for economic prosperity. Data presented by MGT Impact Solutions indicated that based on current trends of declining enrollment, El Paso County could lose up to 20% of its student population, or 30,000 students, over the next 10 years.
This decline would not only impact local schools but also affect local economies and communities. Presenters highlighted the need for data-driven strategies to strengthen existing systems.
Andrew Kim, the state-appointed Texas Education Agency conservator for SISD, emphasized the importance of gathering input not only from local leaders but also from school superintendents, who play a vital role in developing the future workforce.
“Our schools are economic drivers of the community, not only in jobs for teachers and support staff, but if you think about the pipeline of kids going into a workforce, going to local colleges and coming back or staying here to reinvest their time, money, and families,” Kim said. “That is a huge driver of viability of a community.”
He pointed out that compared to other districts, SISD has the least decline in enrollment. The district has been implementing strategies over the past two years to sustain enrollment, which can be shared with other leaders.
“I think there is a potential for Socorro to share some of the ideas with others and to think about how we can make sure to not only sustain what has been built in the last two years, but also improve upon that,” Kim added.
Manuel Rodriguez, the government affairs manager for the El Paso Chamber of Commerce and a SISD board trustee, emphasized the importance of having leaders from the private, public and education sectors collaborate and enhance the city’s chances of being recognized as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City.
A UNICEF Child-Friendly City is a city or community that commits to adopting a child rights approach to its local governance, making sure the voices, needs, and priorities of children are integrated into its policies, programs, and decisions.
He said it was important for business and civic leaders to engage with education leaders because economic development is tied to education.
“I think when we adopt that sort of mentality where we can collaborate with one another, the individuals that benefit from that are not only our families, residents, but above everything else, our children,” Rodriguez said.