• School History

    Donna, Texas – First known as Donna Primary and founded in 1929, this historic elementary school in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley was one of the first educational institutions built for the Donna Independent School District.  

    Since its 90 years of existence, it has undergone several transformations, including a name change in 1976 to Baltazar G. Guzman Elementary, honoring the longtime Donna educator.

    Guzman was born on October 28, 1895 in Brownsville, Texas. He was a veteran, having served his country in World War I.  Shortly after his time in the army, Guzman was stricken with Influenza and was forced to have one of his lungs removed. This however; did not stop him from pursuing his goals and dreams, especially in the area of education.

    He began his teaching career at the age of 19 in Laguna Seca, a small rural area in the Mid-Valley.  From the beginning, Guzman showed his commitment to his vocation by traveling every week from Brownsville to his teaching site via foot, train and horse carriage. At the end of the week, he would take daylong journey back home. 

    It wasn’t until 1919 that Guzman began working for Donna ISD.  He was hired by then Superintendent F.A. Stevens, and first taught Spanish-speaking students in an old two-room church. Referred to as “El Profesor” as a form of respect, Guzman dedicated 35 years of his life to serving the students of Donna ISD before retiring in 1970 at the age of 75. A strong advocate of education, Guzman himself received a Bachelor of Science degree from Pan American University in 1956; and his master’s degree from Texas A&I University in 1962 at the age of 67.

    The legacy of Mr. B.G. Guzman continues to inspire and motivate the faculty and staff of this historic elementary. Today, Guzman Elementary serves approximately 380 students from Pre-K to 5th grade. 

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    Important Facts:

    *School Names: Donna Primary School, East Donna Elementary, B.G. Guzman Elementary

    *First Principal: Ms. Beulah Moye, who helped design the school

    *School Transformations: Home Economics Class in 1931; North Wing in 1949; Middle Wing in 1956, cafeteria in 1964; complete remodel in 1984; B WING renovation in the late 1990’s library and computer lab in 2000.

    *Mr. Guzman passed away on January 27, 1992 at the age of 96

    *Current Administration: Mrs. Emmy De La Garza, Principal; Mr. Christian Garcia, Curriculum Specialist; and Veronica Izeta, School Counselor.

    *State Distinctions: 2 Stars (2016-2017); 3 Stars (2014-2015); 6 Stars (2017-2018)

    *TEA B Rating Campus 2021-2022 School Year

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    Sources:

    Historic School in Donna Officially Gets New Name. (1976, February 17). The Monitor .

    Hilda Martinez, granddaugther of Mr. Guzman. (03 of October, 2019). Personal Interview.

    Donna, Texas. (2002, October 25). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna,_Texas