Finalist for McAllen superintendent job visits schools

McALLEN — Students and teachers in the McAllen school district will be the first to meet their possible new boss.

James J. Ponce, the lone finalist for the school system's superintendent position, will be here today to visit the district's three high schools, where he will meet with elementary and secondary principals, as well as with teachers and students, according to the district. Afterward, the job candidate is set to speak at a 12:30 p.m. luncheon at the McAllen Convention Center.

The McAllen school system has not officially hired Ponce, as state law requires the district to wait 21 days from its announcement of a lone finalist before it can negotiate a contract. The school board named Ponce as the finalist Friday.

The veteran educator has been with the Dallas school district for the past 16 years as a bilingual teacher, principal, administrator and currently the deputy chief of staff. He also is part of the team leading Dallas Achieves!, an initiative to align curricula and resources in the school district.

The Dallas school system is in the midst of an overhaul. Last fall it announced it was more than $80 million in debt because of overspending and poor accounting and laid off hundreds of teachers. The district still faces a $30 million deficit despite cutting costs, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Ponce is expected to receive his doctorate in education in May from the Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas at Austin. He has not yet received his superintendent's certificate from the State Board for Educator Certification.

Members of the Dallas school board did not return phone calls from The Monitor, but one parent involved with the area Parent Teacher Association, Virginia Bellamy, said in an e-mail that Ponce worked well with parents when he was that district's Area 6 superintendent.

If hired by the McAllen school system, he would replace Yolanda Chapa, who retired in January after serving as superintendent for six years. Mike Barrera, assistant superintendent of business operations, has been the district's acting superintendent during the interim.

____

Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.