Alamo Community Colleges News & Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 30, 2008
CONTACT: KAY HENDRICKS
(210) 208-8006

Governor Names Alamo Community Colleges' Board Chairman Roberto Zárate to Key Task Force

Governor Rick Perry has named Alamo Community Colleges’ Board Chairman Roberto Zárate to the Task Force on Higher Education Incentive Funding, which will make recommendations to the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker regarding guidelines for implementing higher education incentive funding programs. Incentives for public colleges and universities will be based on student and institutional achievements that are aligned with state and regional priorities.

“Establishing an innovative incentive-based performance funding system is essential to furthering Texas’ goal of having institutions of higher education prepare students for the demands and opportunities of the 21st century marketplace," said Gov. Perry. "We must change the paradigm from funding institutions solely based on students enrolled to funding based more on the quality of students produced.”

“I am honored to serve on this task force, and I am deeply aware of the tremendous responsibility this position carries with it,” said Zárate. “This is a very important task force, and I hope that my representation will benefit not only community colleges but
all institutions of higher education.

Zárate has served on the Alamo Community Colleges’ Board of Trustees for four and
a half years, and as chairman since May 2006. He recently retired from Northside Independent School District after a 36-year career in education. He was principal at Mary Hull Elementary School for 16 years. Under Zárate’s guidance, Mary Hull Elementary has been honored as a Texas Recognized School, a Commended Title I School, a Texas Blue Ribbon School and a National Blue Ribbon School. The school also received the Hispanic Magazine Exemplary School Award in 1999. Zárate is a lifetime member of the Texas and national PTA, and was recognized by the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Principals as a Blue Ribbon Principal. He also received the Yellow Rose of Texas Outstanding Educator Award, bestowed by the Constance B. Allen Heritage Guild for Lifetime Learning.

Zárate has served on the board of directors of the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, the Community Guidance Center, the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, the Alamo Area Rape Crisis Center, the Taft High School Band Boosters, the Harvard Principal's Center Advisory Board and the city of San Antonio Commission on Literacy. Zárate received a bachelor’s from Howard Payne College and master’s from San Diego State University in California.

The task force will submit their report no later than July 15, 2008. Their recommendations will focus on:

• Structuring higher education funding to reward student and institutional outcomes that are aligned with state and regional priorities consistent with the objectives of H.C.R. 159. Examples include incentives for graduating students in critical fields such as science, math and engineering, graduating at-risk students and expediting time-to-degree and transfers from community colleges to four-year institutions
  
• Use of the $100 million in incentive funding appropriated by the 80th Legislature
  
• Establishing a system of incentive funding for all public institutions of higher education for consideration by the Texas Legislature during the 81st session.
  
  

The task force is comprised of the Commissioner of Education, presiding officer of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and five individuals appointed by Gov. Perry. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick will each appoint one individual to serve on the task force. Kern Wildenthal, president of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, will chair the task force.

The Alamo Community Colleges consist of five colleges serving the Bexar County area: Palo Alto College, St. Philip’s College, San Antonio College, Northeast Lakeview  College and Northwest Vista College. The Alamo Community Colleges serve more than 95,000 students each year. For more information, visit our website at www.accd.edu.