SAN ANTONIO — When Shelene Livas became principal at Pershing Elementary School, she wasn’t aware her campus would be on the chopping block one month into the school year. 

“Rightsizing was a serious possibility for all of us who were on that list,” Livas said.

Pershing was one of 19 campuses set to close in the 2023-24 school year, but the San Antonio Independent School District removed Pershing from the list, giving Livas an opportunity to turn things around. 

“It was rebranding ourselves, establishing our new identity under new leadership,” Livas said. “From there, it was focusing on academics and getting our students where we want to be.” 

The school’s Texas Education Agency (TEA) accountability rating went from an F to a B, the largest improvement for a campus in Bexar County.

“I tell my students to be 1% better every day. We look at our campus like a mountain you are climbing where we, you don’t go from the bottom to the top right away,” Brooke Wetherill, an English as a second language teacher, said. “That’s not our goal; our goal is to do a little bit better every year.” 

SAISD has closed 17 schools since 2023 because of low enrollment and low performance. 

In the last few years, Texas school districts have done the same to avoid a state takeover — where the TEA removes a superintendent and school board members and replaces them with state-appointed leaders. 

Now, because of a new TEA rule, closing campuses isn’t enough. The policy states that a campus’ failing rating history can’t be erased by closing it, unless students transfer to an A or B rated campus. Experts say academic turnaround is the only way. 

“I think that is the heart of school improvement, and that’s the heart of turnaround that you see for Perishing Elementary,” Mary Lynn Pruneda, an education policy expert with nonprofit Texas 2036, said. “They are getting students on grade-level or helping them grow in the academic year.” 

Spectrum News 1 received TEA data from Texas 2036 that showed 1,999 Texas campuses improved their TEA ratings, 4,594 school’s ratings stayed the same and 1,828 campuses’ ratings dropped. 

“Learning is not just in our classroom; it’s throughout our buildings,” Livas said. 

Wetherill said it starts at the top. 

“Ms. Livas has set a precedent of making sure there is positive energy,” Wetherill said. “We celebrate small wins; she’s the foundation of the, what the vibe will be like at the campus.” 

Livas said it took every person, from students and staff to parents, to make Pershing’s unprecedented 31-point leap happen.

“This is how you can help: get your children to school, become involved, ask questions, volunteer,” Livas said. “It’s a community effort.” 

It’s efforts she hopes will propel Pershing, as it’s one point away from an A rating.