Students First.

About Region One

The Region One Education Service Center (ESC) is located in Edinburg, Texas with Extension Offices in Brownsville and Laredo. Region One is one of the twenty regional service centers established by the Texas Legislature in 1967 to provide a variety of school -related services to designated school districts. 

Today, Region One ESC delivers training and consulting assistance to thousands of educators and provides a wide range of services to local school systems to enhance the education they are providing students at the local level. Region One provides professional development to all areas of school personnel, secures products and services at reduced prices through cooperative purchasing agreements, provides technical assistance and performs other activities that meet the needs of schools allowing educators to focus on educating students. 

The Region One ESC region is made up of the eight county area of deep South Texas including Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Starr, Webb, Willacy and Zapata Counties.

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Our Purpose

Regional Education Service Centers serve as a liaison between the Texas Education Agency and the school districts within its region; ESCs are not regulatory agencies. Instead, the twenty regional  education service centers across the state work in partnership with districts and charter schools in their respective regions.

Chapter 8 of the Texas Education Code (TEC) requires that ESCs be located throughout the state , so each school district has the opportunity to be served by and to participate with an ESC on a voluntary basis, ESCs were established by the legislature for the purpose of: 

• Assisting schools in improving student performance;
• Enabling schools to operate more efficiently and economically;
• Implementing initiatives assigned by the Texas Legislature or the commissioner of Education. 

 

Our Governing Body

Region One ESC is governed by a Board of Directors elected by school board members of the region. Seven elected board Members represent the eight counties of the Region One area. Charter Schools are represented by one Board Member who is appointed by the Texas Commissioner of Education. Board Members' terms of office are for three years.

 

How ESCs are Funded

As a non-taxing entity, Region One ESC relies on funding from different sources:

• State-Based Funding
• State Grant Funds
• Federal Grant Funds
• Local Revenue Generated from ESC Services

The Region One ESC budget is made up of approximately 5% state funding and the remaining is generated through federal monies and grants. 

 

Together with Schools & Communities

To support the operation of efficient school systems, Region One ESC offers opportunities to participate in purchasing cooperatives. Using economies of scale Region One helps districts acquire educational tools that districts would not otherwise be able to purchase, saving money and improving efficiency. Examples of purchasing cooperatives include food and energy purchasing, and human resource cooperatives. Some of these services and savings are also available to local municipalities and other government agencies.

To ensure that training and consulting assistance is customized to meet an individual school's needs, Region One continuously examines school data and maintains an open dialogue with educators about what services Region One provides and how they can be improved. Utilizing customer feedback, Region One ensures that services meet the needs of the schools they serve.