Bexar County's population is expected to balloon by at least a million people in the next 20 years. A big factor in how we grow will be determined by our school districts. Our Annette Garcia shows you the approach one superintendent is taking to make sure his students aren't left behind.
SAN ANTONIO -- Mark Eads knows what it's like to fight for students.
"Our students here are great students," he said.
The Southside Independent School District superintendent was hired just days after the Texas Education Agency launched an investigation into his district that he says left a mark on the community.
"It is an unwarranted and unjustified perception," said Eads.
Eads said he plans to change that perception with new ideas, which sound more like that of a city planner not a superintendent.
"Right now, I am meeting with retail outlets, construction companies, food chains and financial institutions," he said.
His goal: Entice more people to move to Southside ISD, for better teachers and programs, and more options outside the classroom.
"You go in our 150 square mile footprint. You're going to see we don't have a financial institution. We don't have a grocery store. We don't have a retail store," said Eads.
"They are going to have to do a lot more work to attract families that are moving here," said Alia Malik of San Antonio Express-News.
Malik has studied school district trends for years and says despite San Antonio's growth, some districts on the southside of town are losing students at a rapid rate.
"You have some people from those southside districts that are moving north for what they perceive to be better schools," she said.
Malik said problems at a handful of districts have cast a shadow on the entire area.
That, coupled with a lack of resources means fewer students and less revenue in already economically disadvantaged areas.
Bexar County is expected to grow by a million people over the next 20 years.
Eads said now is the time to get competitive.
"We're going to have some nice residential developments in the next three years, which when you do that, that brings in different populations of students and community members," he added.
Today's competition may be tomorrow's educational gain.
A renewed confidence in schools on the city's southside could mean a lot for the entire area.
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San Antonio - Our Growth, Our Future Special Coverage:
- What Could Be in Store When a Million More People Move to Bexar County
- Southside Residents Prepare for Growth, Hope to Preserve What Makes Area Unique
- One San Antonian's Effort to Improve Her Inner City Community, not Push Anyone Out
- Bexar County's Transportation Projects Likely Won't be Enough to Handle Growth
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