Donna ISD and Hidalgo County approve memorandum to convert Guzman Elementary into Pre-K/Head Start collaboration site

Hidalgo County commissioners on Wednesday approved an amended memorandum of understanding with Donna Independent School District to convert Guzman Elementary into a Pre-K/Head Start collaboration campus.

Donna ISD trustees have authorized repurposing Guzman Elementary to accommodate 16 Pre-K Head Start classrooms, county staff said. The memorandum includes plans for a walkthrough with county health and human services and Community Service Agency representatives to determine space allocations and to provide “one-stop” direct services to children, families and the surrounding community at no cost to the county agencies.

Donna ISD superintendent Dr. Angela Dominguez told the court the partnership has expanded early-childhood enrollment and that state moves toward full-day pre-K funding made the collaboration especially timely. The district also plans to implement Early Head Start (infants and toddlers) as part of the collaboration, superintendent Dominguez said.

The court approved the MOU and related program calendars and area distributions for policy council parent representatives for the upcoming 2025–26 school year. Commissioners voiced support for the partnership’s potential to improve early-education outcomes in areas of high need.

Staff said additional interlocal agreements were approved to lease space at $1 per month with multiple municipalities and ISDs to support program operations; the court signed waivers and approvals required for the school-year calendars and nonfinancial MOUs with partner agencies that will deliver services alongside Head Start.