Krista Torralva
S.A. Express-News
San Antonio, TX, United States
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Past articles by Krista:
UTSA study: San Antonio area charters see more student movement from school to school
Over 12 years, kids changed schools in Bexar County at a rate of 18 percent in any given... → Read More
San Antonio ISD still limiting students as classes resume next week, will provide vaccine for employees
The San Antonio Independent School District welcomes back students from the winter break next week, but won’t move to the next phase of in-person learning because of the community’s high rate of COVID-19 cases. → Read More
Families ring in the ‘noon’ year at DoSeum’s daytime New Year’s Eve event
Like countless other events this year, the DoSeum’s countdown to the “noon year” fell victim to the pandemic. Going virtual allowed hundreds of families from all across the city to participate while staying at home. → Read More
A&M San Antonio using USAA grant to help students with new tech devices
Thousands of families this year found themselves with new technology devices provided by schools and internet access from city initiatives to help their students access remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis. But having the tools isn’t enough if the user doesn’t know how to work them. That’s where Texas A&M University San Antonio is stepping in — with help from a $750,000 grant from USAA.… → Read More
More rural school districts in San Antonio area throw in the towel on remote learning
With the fall semester over, some rural superintendents have eliminated remote learning programs even as the coronavirus pandemic surges. → Read More
Boerne ISD approves land deal as it considers another elementary school
Boerne Independent School District trustees approved the purchase of 19 acres in The Springs of Cordillera Ranch neighborhood, where they could build an elementary school. → Read More
San Antonio area school leaders, facing loss of millions in state funding, plead for continued grace period
A grace period that has funded schools at pre-pandemic enrollment levels is set to expire at the end of the year. Many school leaders have said the coronavirus pandemic has dropped enrollment and no rebound is likely as long as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. The loss to ISDs in Bexar County could total $85 million, superintendents said in a letter to state officials. → Read More
Texas students will take STAAR exams but the stakes will ease for school districts
Texas students will take the state’s annual standardized test, the STAAR, in the spring, but the state will not issue grades to schools under its annual accountability system. → Read More
San Antonio mayor, Bexar County judge ask governor for COVID tests, vaccines for teachers
“School nurses are rightfully considered a priority in the Texas vaccination process, but we believe that teachers and faculty should be included in our two frontline tiers,” said the letter, signed by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff. → Read More
As COVID cases push them into ‘red’ zone, superintendents in San Antonio say school won’t go fully online again
Local school leaders don’t plan to close schools again as they did in the spring, despite calls from teacher unions and a rise in community spread of COVID-19 sharp enough to trigger a new warning from the Metropolitan Health District. On Monday, Metro Health’s school risk indicator moved into the “red” category, recommending schools reserve in-person learning only for kids who need it most —… → Read More
IDEA campuses represent San Antonio on Children at Risk’s list of ‘pandemic proof’ schools
The Texas Education Agency did not grade schools this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Children at Risk, a nonprofit think tank that analyzes Texas public school data, released its annual report Monday using test scores from three previous years, looking for consistency. → Read More
San Antonio’s middle schools retool to meet demand for cybersecurity training
When Joshua Gutierrez was seven years old, his father gave him an iPad and free rein to use it. Now, the 18-year-old senior at Northside Independent School District’s Business Careers High School is preparing to graduate with three information technology and cybersecurity industry certifications, plus 13 more attesting to his expertise in programs like Microsoft Excel and Access. Gutierrez is a… → Read More
Mike Frazier, 40-year veteran trustee at Southwest ISD, dies of COVID-19 complications
Mike Frazier, a longtime trustee and board president in the Southwest Independent School District, died Tuesday from health complications as a result of COVID-19. Frazier, 75, had been hospitalized several weeks with the virus, said Sylvester Vasquez, the current school board president. Frazier, 75, is survived by his wife and two adult children. “He will be missed greatly. He never stopped… → Read More
NAACP calls on Harlandale ISD to reinstate MLK Day holiday
The school district decided last month to make MLK Day a school day in order to be able to give students and staff off on Election Day, Nov. 3, out of concerns for COVID-19 spread on their eight campuses that were voting locations. → Read More
San Antonio school leaders concern: COVID-induced decline in enrollment will take funding down with it
School district leaders are lobbying the Texas Education Agency to continue funding their schools based on enrollment numbers from last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic made keeping and counting students an exercise in uncertainty. → Read More
TEA gives districts option to end online-only classes for struggling students
The Texas Education Agency changed its guidance to allow the state’s school districts to stop offering virtual instruction to individual students with poor attendance or grades. Previously, a district could only cancel online learning for everybody. → Read More
Biden supporters celebrate in downtown San Antonio
A planned march was transformed into a celebration for Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, the first woman to be elected vice president of the U.S. → Read More
Voters retire a 40-year incumbent in San Antonio area school district
Mike Frazier, 75, who was first elected in 1980 and is the current board president, was defeated in Tuesday’s election. → Read More
Two new faces will be at South San ISD board meetings
A sitting trustee was ousted and a former board member who tried to get back on the board was denied, according to unofficial returns. → Read More
More South Bexar County school districts to offer weekly COVID-19 testing
Starting in November, all seven school districts that partner with Texas A&M University San Antonio in the university’s ASPIRE network will have free access to a fast testing program. → Read More