Community member urges McAllen ISD to preserve middle- and high-school fine arts staffing

During the public-comment portion of the McAllen Independent School District special board meeting on May 13, 2025, Beverly Avila urged trustees to preserve the district's existing fine-arts staffing and vertical-team teaching model from elementary through high school.

Avila told the board that strong elementary music specialists and dedicated middle-school specialists create a foundation that enables McAllen students to succeed in high-school fine-arts programs. “We are so blessed that our students are not pulled to choose between a plethora of electives, but instead are allowed the time to focus for 3 years on band, choir, orchestra, art, or drama, while being taught by specialists in those specific areas,” Avila said. She asked the district to "keep this foundation as it is, without changes to staffing."

Avila cited competition results and participation figures: she said McAllen middle schools entered 18 choirs in the UIL concert and sight-reading contest and 15 received sweepstakes awards, and that McAllen students made up 47% of the all-region 15 choir. She also said the district's music department received the Best Communities for Music Education national award for 13 consecutive years. The public-comment rules posted during the meeting limited speakers to two minutes; the board did not take action on Avila's request during the meeting.

Avila's comments were made during the public-comment item and were recorded as part of the meeting's public record; the transcript does not show trustees responding with specific commitments or motions.