Donna ISD Superintendent Dr. Angela Dominguez has demonstrated visionary leadership, strong convictions and the ability to bring the community together over the course of her tenure. Because of these and other great examples of stewardship, the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) bestowed her with the prestigious “Friend of Education” – Region 6 award. The announcement was made during the annual Friends of Education Dinner Celebration held at the Alamo Event Center on Wednesday, May 10th.

Dr. Dominguez, the first woman superintendent in the district’s 100 plus year history, oversees approximately 13,500 students and over 2,000 employees. Since taking over the helm in late 2021, she worked closely with the Board of Trustees and district administration to generate a comprehensive five-year plan that focuses on the district’s number one outcome, which is to graduate all students ready for college, a career, or the military.

Other points of pride under Dr. Dominguez’s leadership include:

• the district’s B Rating with the State of Texas for academics
• a perfect score in the state’s school financial accountability rating system
• the launching of M. Rivas Primary Discovery Academy, the first early childhood learning center of its kind in the Rio Grande Valley focused on PreK 3-2nd grade
• the designation of J.W. Caceres Intermediate Discovery Academy, an innovative instructional curriculum campus exclusively for 3rd through 5th grade students
• a Dual Language Program in the district’s elementary and secondary campuses that will graduate students who are bilingual, bi-literate, and bicultural
• a new Student Transitional Eighteen Plus Program (STEPP) to serve DISD’s special education students ages 18-22 with a successful transition into the real world.

Among Dr. Dominguez and her team’s most recent and notable accomplishment is running an effective school bond election campaign that resulted in the successful passage of a $120 million bond referendum. The campaign provided detailed information on the district’s website stating the need for improvements and listings of instructional facility upgrades and additions to campuses throughout the district.

“The Donna ISD Board of Trustees and Administration are appreciative of the voters in Donna for putting the needs of our students and schools first,” Dr. Dominguez said. “The community support for the $120 million dollar bond to invest in our school facilities will allow us to update buildings, add needed wings, and provide innovative learning spaces for our children for years to come. The Administration and Trustees will continue to be vigilant stewards of the District.”

TSTA representative Yolanda Gonzalez said that Dr. Dominguez was selected as a recipient of the award due to her strong focus on student outcomes and the positive and progressive impact she has made in the district. “Dr. Dominguez has shown strong leadership in redirecting

Donna ISD to focus on establishing systems which are helping create innovative learning environments for the students,” Gonzalez said. “In addition, she has been very intentional in opening up the district in greater ways to the Donna community.”

Dr. Dominguez accepted her award on behalf of Donna ISD alongside other fellow honorees. “It is such a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Donna TSTA organization as a Friend of Education. We work closely together to serve our students and staff in Donna ISD,” Dominguez said.