The Socorro Independent School District was awarded six grants totaling $100,000 from Educate TX to assist teachers in the Pathway to Technology (P-TECH) programs across the district.
The P-TECH Support Grant provides financial and technical support to increase instructional capacity for dual credit and credential-aligned coursework. The funds in the grant period from May 2026 to June 2027 will support teachers at P-TECH campuses to earn dual credit faculty credentials and/or industry-based certifications aligned to approved programs of study.
“We are proud to receive these funds to support our P-TECH instructors and further enhance our innovative programs,” said Socorro ISD Superintendent James Vasquez. “We work diligently to give all our students opportunities to not only be prepared for college, careers and life through our P-TECH programs, but to also have a headstart with associate degrees and industry certifications. Our educators are highly dedicated to helping our students excel in P-TECH and all their classes to be ready for a great future.”
Socorro ISD offers P-TECH programs at all comprehensive high schools in the district. The programs allow students to obtain a college certificate and/or an associate degree in a specific career area before they graduate high school.
All SISD high schools offer an Education and Training P-TECH program and an additional program, as well. The other P-TECH areas of study are biomedical at Montwood High School, criminal justice at El Dorado High School, computer science at Eastlake High School, business at Pebble Hills High School, criminal justice at Americas High School, or pre-nursing at Socorro High School.
“This grant will be instrumental in ensuring our P-TECH educators remain highly effective and skilled in their fields to provide exceptional experiences for our students,” said Leslie Goldmann, SISD coordinator of Advanced Academics.
The grant funds will be used to assist SISD teachers to earn a master's degree or if they already have a master's degree to earn another 18 hours leading to credentialing in a specific area, she said.
The first cohort of P-TECH students to earn their associate degrees in Socorro ISD were celebrated during the 2025-2026 school year. Twenty-six students from Montwood High School’s biomedical P-TECH program earned their associate degree from El Paso Community College, which partners with SISD as part of the innovative program.