PHARR, Texas - After agreeing to provide blazing speed broadband to thousands of households with enrolled students from Pharr, the PSJA school board now wants to offer the same service in San Juan and Alamo.
At a regular school board meeting held May 22, the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school board of trustees signed an interlock agreement with the City of Pharr.
The agreement means 6,400 households with PSJA ISD students in Pharr will be entitled to fixed-line broadband internet subscription, calibrated to provide fiber internet connectivity of up to 1 Gbps.
The service will be free of cost to these households with PSJA assuming the cost of facilitating the delivery of reliable internet services. The school district will invest a total of $50 per household per month over the next ten years.
But this is not enough for PSJA ISD School Board President Dr. Cynthia Gutierrez.
“We want to provide internet for our students in the cities of San Juan and Alamo and our superintendent has been in communication with the elected officials of those municipalities to partner in the future to that end,” Gutierrez said.
The PSJA’s new broadband program will begin at the start of the 2023-2024 school year, with the City of Pharr’s TeamPharr.net serving as an alternative internet service provider throughout the PSJA ISD service area.
Commenting after the PSJA-City of Pharr inter-local agreement was approved, Gutierrez said: “We at PSJA believe that all of our students should have access to the resources necessary to succeed in academics and in their future careers. With this initiative, we ensure that our students in Pharr have access to reliable, fast internet to connect in their homes.”
Gutierrez said it was “superfluous” to give PSJA students computers and other devices if they don’t have access to the internet to complete school homework assignments.
"It breaks my heart to see our students having to go to fast food restaurants, hotel parking lots, and hospitals to do their homework. This is not only counterintuitive for the student’s education, but it can also be dangerous,” Gutierrez said.
“We must never forget that we live in an era of technology, limited artificial intelligence, social media, and global connectivity; internet access is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Unfortunately, there are still households in our district without internet access because they cannot afford it.”
Dr. Alejandro Elias, PSJA’s interim superintendent, also commented after the interlock agreement was approved. He said:
“Helping our families have connectivity provides our students with an equal playing field and equal access to be able to succeed by being able to complete homework and assignments at home,” Elias said.
“We thank our School Board for their leadership and tri-city partners for working with us to address and work towards closing the digital divide.”
City leaders in San Juan and Alamo are expected to act when they see fiber internet connectivity of up to 1 Gbps being offered at no charge to Pharr families.
Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez outlined a plan to expand high speed internet into San Juan and Alamo during his 2023 State of the City address.
“We recently decided to collaborate on eliminating the digital divide for the entire PSJA geographical area, which encompasses the great cities of San Juan and Alamo,” Hernandez said, to applause from 900-plus attendees at the State of the City event.
“So, please help me in thanking the PSJA School Board for their bold and innovative approach for their students and our communities.”
Hernandez then asked the PSJA school board of trustees to stand and be recognized.
“This first-of-a-kind partnership should serve as a prime example on how we can work together for the betterment of our communities. Specifically, the Tri-City geographical area of PSJA ISD. We look forward to what fruits this will bear.”
Hernandez said the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for high-speed broadband connectivity. But, he said, his administration had already made this issue a top priority.
“Reliable internet service went from being a luxury to an absolute necessity, a priority. Without it, many families lacked the ability to connect to schools, to their jobs, even looking for medical assistance, and for employment opportunities.”
Hernandez said Pharr came up with an “innovative solution.” He explained:
“Pharr is offering affordable broadband internet access to all businesses and families. Now, thanks to the amazing work of our IT department, TeamPharr.net and its partners are actively installing fiber optic cable throughout the city.”
Hernandez said Pharr is at a “critical digital turning point” and having high speed internet will help “drive current major city projects and overall quality of life,” he said.
“As we lead ourselves into the 21st Century, our fiber optic network will lead our team to exploring Smart City platforms, digital sustainability mechanisms, and educational partnerships that will go beyond the traditional pathways,” Hernandez predicted.
“TeamPharr.net is taking our community beyond connectivity. This is essentially the development of a brand new information infrastructure superhighway system connecting Pharr to the world. But with one unique difference. One big difference here: blazing speed and affordability for all.”
Mayor Hernandez was at the PSJA board meeting. He pointed out that working with the City of Pharr, PSJA undertook a pilot program to test the need for high speed internet. This happened before the pandemic.
“It was PSJA and the City of Pharr who led the charge at the national level to close the digital divide,” Hernandez told the school board. He said a “white paper” that came out of the pilot program is being used nationally as a model on how to develop partnerships to improve broadband connectivity.
“We are the poster child for it. We are what people are using across the state and across the nation now. And I am very proud of it because we did it. We did it not to get recognition but because it was the right thing to do at that time.”
Hernandez applauded PSJA for using hotspots during the pandemic to help students when their schools were closed. However, he said, PSJA was now investing in something so much better.
“Now you have got something different. You have something that you will forever be grateful for, for generations to come, for your community,” Hernandez said.
“And yes, it is likely to be expanding wherever your geographical footprint is at PSJA because it's our partnership we have with you and we have already signed that we will be following you to be sure your students have every opportunity to be equal, to be on an equal playing field whether they decide to be a janitor or a doctor or an attorney. That’s up to them. But, at least you guys as an organization are giving everybody the same platform, the same opportunity. And that's that says a lot.”
Editor’s Note: Households with PSJA ISD students residing in the city of Pharr may learn more about the new fiber internet services at https://pharr-tx.gov/teampharr-net/
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