Alejandra Garcia’s career is coming full circle.
Having started her career at Ector Middle School 10 years ago, she’s now back as its principal.
This year also marks the school’s return to the Ector County ISD fold having been run by Third Future Schools, a charter school network, the last three years. The charter was still in ECISD, but now it will be run by the district.
Garcia’s first year teaching was as an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Ector.
“It was exciting to be able to come back a decade later as the principal,” Garcia said.
She also served as seventh-grade assistant principal and eighth-grade assistant principal at Ector.
“I was here for some time and I was able to see both ends of it as a teacher and as an assistant principal. Now this year, I’m able to see it as the principal,” said Garcia, who was previously principal at Travis Elementary.
Plans are to repurpose Travis into a daycare center.
Garcia said her experience heading the elementary campus will help her with Ector.
“It’s definitely the same demographic of kids. We’re going to get the same kids from fifth grade that come over here to sixth grade so that’s also going to be beneficial some of the kids come in and seeing familiar faces,” she added.
At Ector, she will have three assistant principals, a dean and a principal fellow. Garcia is expecting 1,300 students, which was roughly the same number as the charter school had.
Garcia said she is still in the process of getting everything ready for the new school year. Third Future’s contract ended in June and ECISD took over July 1.
“It hasn’t given us a lot of time. … We’re still in the process of hiring, getting everyone ready and getting our fine art teachers to come and get everything back to where it was,” she added.
“We’re excited. We have several fine art teachers already hired. They have been here working, getting everything going, our athletics going as well so I’m very optimistic that it’s going to be a great transition back into the district,” Garcia said.
She will need about 95 teachers and she was still looking for about eight as of July 17.
“We’ve done good work this summer hiring,” Garcia said.
Just a few of the teachers that worked for Third Future are coming back.
She’s looking forward to talking to students and parents to see what they enjoyed and what they’re going to be happy to have back as part of ECISD.
They will also be revamping the campus, painting the building to get it back in shape for a nine-period day.
Ector has seen some benefits from the ECISD bond already with new Promethean Boards in the classrooms and new bleachers.
“My first goal is for the transition for our students, community, teachers, staff to be as smooth as possible — transitioning from the charter back into the district. That is one of my main goals. Of course academics, that charter did a great job, but I really want our students, our staff, our community to feel supported and proud that Ector is back in the district. So that’s my year one goal,” Garcia said.
“The biggest community feedback is they’re very excited for the electives and just being able to,” have the same extracurricular activities as the other middle schools, Garcia said.
Garcia said it was emotional for her to leave Travis, but moving to Ector is going to be exciting for everyone and a chance to start fresh.
Garcia, who is from Big Spring, earned a bachelor’s degree in history from University of Texas Permian Basin and a master’s in educational leadership as well.
“I’m currently working on my doctorate through Texas Tech,” Garcia said.
Her doctorate will be in educational leadership, too.
Garcia always wanted to be an educator.
“Even when I was younger, I would always tell my mom that I wanted to be a teacher, or when I would play I would set up my dolls like a school teacher and I would mimic my third-grade teachers. … I believe it was always in the cards for me,” she added.
ECISD Executive Director for Leadership Anthony Garcia said Ale Garcia will make a great principal at Ector.
“Ms. Garcia is an exceptional leader whose experiences in elementary and secondary will help lead Ector in the right direction. While she always puts students first, Ms. Garcia believes in supporting staff and families. This will help build upon the culture of the Ector community,” Anthony Garcia said.
