[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6175563,"mediaKeyId","5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e","parentId",5356072,"title","Harlingen CISD declares emergency; approves replacement of Memorial Middle School switchboard after transformer failure","audioSeconds",174,"startMs",5750000,"endMs",5924000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e&start=5750&end=5924","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e/thumbnail_5750000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6175563/Texas/Harlingen-CISD-declares-emergency-approves-replacement-of-Memorial-Middle-School-switchboard-after-transformer-failure","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6175563-69c3976614397e675ba212ed149bbdef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136320&Signature=kb0MlMzIo4WOo9Q5BI09UpCZS87bJeH4d6Zg3PBbXynYuFVI8c7UzHX3KbkzlaUzT0kcU7kFyzF3jh9nxd4ytmvw7lqWq4NXhZpJw-8OqmTTc3FqjpwuMhlq7GTic-cT7uI~DFyX3~NwiN4ctS7h6pkNL-Vdqsdz~zdNwE514ZveremBFNocFlE49yKrL8lnK-W6eMClW93oLx3UHtvaMSyDGQgocRmn6RTL-vNA6AucQOJJxrugeW-bYuLuWeR4y-tMMP7XpVWdbE0DVSBX8vt52~JXDYFXRC1DsMJJdWn95AGyr~99wbnOZvsMbft0fkRLtYce944WS~7DaL-k8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Harlingen CISD","date","2025-07-09T01:47:16Z","article","Harlingen CISD trustees approved an emergency contract to replace the exterior switchboard at Memorial Middle School after a transformer box failure caused significant electrical damage, district staff said.

The district presented an engineer’s assessment of the damage and requested authority to proceed with turnkey design‑build replacement and installation of the existing switchboard and associated circuit breakers. Ida Ambrase, presenting the item, said, “The campus lost all electricity from a burnt out transformer box.” The district asked the board to authorize unforeseen purchases that may arise after a field investigation.

Facilities staff described why staff sought an emergency declaration. Mr. Tapia (identified in the meeting as present to answer questions) told trustees the exterior enclosure experienced severe rust and water intrusion; the corrosion, coupled with heavy rains, led to a major short that damaged switchgear. The district performed temporary field repairs so the campus could operate, but the consulting engineer recommended a full replacement so the equipment will not fail again during the school year.

Trustees discussed deferred maintenance and how the district prioritizes capital and facility renewals; the superintendent said the district maintains an eight‑year capital plan and will present a fuller asset‑management update to the board. Staff said federal ESSER funding had supported many recent capital repairs but that one‑time funds are largely exhausted.

On timing, staff told the board the designer/contractor expects to complete the switchboard replacement in about three weeks from work start, and the administration agreed to report back with final costs and project details after work is complete. The board voted to approve the emergency professional electrical engineering services and related expenditures; staff recorded the motion as passed during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee Meeting/Regular Board Meeting 7/8/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved emergency professional electrical engineering services after a transformer box failure damaged the switchboard at Memorial Middle School; temporary repairs restored power but engineers recommended full replacement and staff estimated a three‑week timeline once work begins.","taxTitle","HARLINGEN CISD, School Districts, Texas","taxId",14107,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6175568,"Harlingen CISD reimagines CTE with ‘thirteenth year,’ industry partnerships and focus on soft skills",1032,1638000,2670000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e&start=1638&end=2670","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e/thumbnail_1638000.jpg","/articles/6175568/Texas/Harlingen-CISD-reimagines-CTE-with-thirteenth-year-industry-partnerships-and-focus-on-soft-skills","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6175568-957b6229a37dfca0782dead00af9a2d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136320&Signature=PSgF1c~6C~boYE4SxHCMjqZzOkqBnYQFv47OsKCS9SHKPjZMk2W0lS0FQQEFSSfBDPPOugpobByRX7GsmTgO6qq4xm1pITxQZ3y0FWmBnpZaiLDNBTo0URp6DI--4iRcoP3HF~4mjilZmmFt9sUQWjFZ0Zj~oQm-DahQa2Ath0OCmGFUajtnqmQCRxLTbnydTTSH1qDfSydaOZXnvNCaioe6QGkBbUzu3Onek~I4f7NKzpcu32v1JGpmv04njGDb8--OAKog7DSx-0Coo8WbFx6qlqnJ~vfc0VS6WJmKasyjeTE8qKmLqvanP78O4PrY1yZ1k7aUrSXp7o8KJ14UVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harlingen CISD’s director for career and technical education told trustees the district is expanding CTE so students leave high school ready for college or careers, including a planned “thirteenth year” transition program, deeper employer partnerships, and an increased emphasis on soft skills.

Nelda Alonso, who identified herself as the district’s director for CTE, told the board the department’s vision is to “ensure that our students know where they're going past graduation” and described a plan that begins with career exploration in middle school, a career digital portfolio and a required personal graduation plan in high school. That plan is intended to culminate in annual student‑led conferences with teachers and parents to track progress toward postsecondary or workforce goals.

Alonso listed four strategic priorities: expanding networking and advisory committees with industry partners, deepening collaboration with postsecondary institutions (including dual credit expansion), establishing a thirteenth‑year program for seniors, and embedding soft‑skills instruction into regular coursework. She described a tri‑agency partnership referenced in the presentation involving the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission; a third agency in the slide was referenced as “TA” in the meeting transcript.

The CTE team described active employer engagement in the region. Alonso highlighted local economic development partners — named in the meeting as Jane Lozano and Orlando Campos of the Harlingen EDC — and said industry advisory committees meet twice a year to align instruction with regional workforce needs. Alonso gave a recent example: students in the district’s auto‑mechanics program visited a Mercedes‑Benz facility and encountered alumni working there, which staff said demonstrates direct pipelines to employment.

Alonso also described efforts to expand work‑based learning and certifications. She said the district wants students to complete coherent four‑year programs of study and leave high school with industry‑based certifications (IBC) where appropriate. Alonso said some students already earn stackable certifications (for example in HVAC and welding) and the district is working to push more students toward those stackable pathways. She noted the district covers certification testing costs and wants to better communicate what each credential enables students to do after graduation.

On internships and externships, staff said the current number of formal internships is small but growing: a grant allowed roughly 14 students to work in district operations in a pilot program, and Alonso said nearly a dozen campus teachers have participated in externships; she cited 14 teachers participating last year and about 12 teachers currently on externship rotations. The team said they are pursuing more summer and short‑term job‑shadowing opportunities with community partners to increase exposure without requiring long placements.

Parental engagement was emphasized as central to the plan. Alonso described the district’s first parental CTE Expo this year and said a short printed booklet listing each program’s four‑year sequence was distributed; parents in attendance reportedly responded that the booklet was exactly the resource they needed. Alonso said the district will use the website and other outreach to help parents understand programs and post‑graduation options before preregistration decisions.

Board members praised the department’s outreach and encouraged continuing to align certifications with local labor demand, to scale externships, and to ensure students gain both technical and soft skills. Alonso said the district is pursuing grants (she mentioned a prospective grant tied to a project with Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA) and will continue to report back on partnership expansion, enrollment in dual credit, and practicum opportunities.

Staff framed the work as a regional workforce strategy: “When schools, colleges, businesses, and civic leaders work together, students are better prepared to enter the workforce or college with confidence,” Alonso said.","The district’s CTE director outlined a multi‑year strategy to start career exploration in middle school, strengthen employer partnerships, expand internships/externships, and engage parents so students leave high school with stackable credentials or postsecondary pathways.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6175573,"Harlingen CISD unveils redesigned website, plans phased AI rollout and community feedback",283,62000,345000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e&start=62&end=345","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5356072-36da54ef075a9ac6828498df7a9b516e/thumbnail_62000.jpg","/articles/6175573/Texas/Harlingen-CISD-unveils-redesigned-website-plans-phased-AI-rollout-and-community-feedback","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6175573-038f54e02c5f52316f119f70bb03f61d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136320&Signature=iqHMet2G2BuEQas2JpCA2mjkLIy1eb1x6P-sc2FTZf5uR6X5V4RwU1CYyQu62E~SVY0NZY69LSWVvtwDWz1YnOLuIW3LbahNQ9R0lN9ChwdpbJ7KNQXvIs~cccx1U9YdSkxRD~x1VC3Dyb7JvN7JU41~sHlCpzZrhdbrgFaRGjdbmod781AHf~WyFQZQbtvdqyZtLn8uNaerRMT0k5KyWiYD87YA-D1FkSL8H5Xtqm-Bmsh70tWFo8E7r6smZQYvX8h~rd~6jlvdEI4aVysFUpcZQ8ddJVJ9aA~nCX7Isv~ePHn8wwJHV3qYCVxt1Zgp2Zo9ElKeM3VUzgP~RKqCXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harlingen CISD officials presented a redesigned district and campus website and a phased plan to add an AI assistant and gather board and community feedback during a Transforming Teaching and Learning committee meeting.

District leaders said the new site is meant to be “a true front door” for families, staff and community partners and to consolidate messaging systems currently maintained across multiple platforms.

The redesign consolidates ParentSquare and SmartSites into a single ecosystem and adds built‑in accessibility tools such as language translation, adjustable fonts and contrast controls. Juan Rodriguez, the district’s coordinator for marketing and student outreach, said, “This launch isn't just about a new design, it's about building stronger connections between our schools and the communities that we serve.”

Committee members and staff described features the district highlighted in a slideshow: a horizontal cascading top menu, a campus selector (high schools, middle schools, elementaries), a “popular links” area, a toggleable video feature that can replace the traditional slider, and campus pages with “celebrations at a glance” and campus statistics. Jessica Martinez, identified in the meeting as the coordinator for print services, said the team sought “a cleaner look” and “easier ways to find things on the site” and emphasized fewer clicks and clearer navigation for users.

Staff said the migration from the old site to the new site has already been completed and that the district briefly activated a video element on the district site to show the feature in the meeting presentation. Dahlia Garcia told the board that administrators will collect feedback at an upcoming leadership retreat and that the district will distribute a link and QR code to the board so trustees can give the first round of feedback.

The district also plans training and ongoing support: prerecorded help on a support page, an “extravaganza” event, and twice‑weekly hands‑on trainings with SmartSites representatives. Rodriguez said campuses will also receive scheduled training and that site content — for example, campus statistics and videos — will be updated campus‑by‑campus; staff said they expected to have campus pages populated and additional updates by the next week after the presentation.

On artificial intelligence, staff described a phased approach. A district staff member who discussed the AI tool said an initial phase would act like a web crawler that summarizes content found on a campus site; a later “phase 2” would use retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) to support side‑by‑side comparisons across campuses. When a trustee asked about the risk of pulling inaccurate material from social media, the presenter said the district is building a controlled dataset and working with Google so the assistant will “only pull what we feed it,” a step the presenter said will limit hallucinations.

Garcia said the board will be the “first layer” of feedback and that the district will use ThoughtExchange and a QR link to gather community input, including PTA, alumni and advisory committees. She said the district intends the website to be iterative: “It’s never gonna be finished. It’s ever gonna be evolving,” staff said, and they invited trustees to provide feedback that staff will incorporate into ongoing updates.

Staff emphasized the site is intended to do more than display information: it should help families enroll students, find resources and contact the right offices quickly. The district also said it will report back to trustees with feedback collected from the board and the community and continue phased AI development and campus rollouts.","District staff showed a redesigned district and campus website that centralizes messaging, adds accessibility tools and video features, and will be rolled out in phases with an AI assistant and a public feedback loop starting with the board.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Harlingen CISD declares emergency; approves replacement of Memorial Middle School switchboard after transformer failure

Harlingen CISD reimagines CTE with ‘thirteenth year,’ industry partnerships and focus on soft skills

Harlingen CISD unveils redesigned website, plans phased AI rollout and community feedback