In their blind loyalty to Texas Southmost College President Lili Tercero, several trustees, including Art Rendon and Ed Rivera, have shown they could care less about losing the college's nursing program in which millions have been invested over more than a quarter century and voted to give her a year's extension on her $228,228 contract instead.
In their view, possibly losing the hallmark TSC nursing program is justifiable because there are "only" 50 student enrolled there now."Why should we care about 50 students when we have 5,000 other to worry about?," goes their way of thinking.
Rivera and Rendon poo-hooed trustee Trey Mendez when he protested that the college had invested millions over the years to build the program, which, before the "partnership" with the University of Texas at Brownsville, was a gem in the TSC academic and vocational crown.
In fact, after the meeting of the trustees last Thursday, Rendon berated Mendez for his support of the program and could be heard belittling his views.
Rivera, who did not run for reelection as a TSC trustee this year, is running for commissioner with the Brownsville Navigation District, even as questions arise over his living outside the district boundaries in Laguna Vista. Both his voting card address is listed there as is his homestead exemption with the Cameron County Appraisal District.Rivera has managed to worm himself into the good graces of OP 10.33 Mike Hernandez and engineer Carols Marin who have made no secret that they want to take over the port to steer business toward their cronies and business associates. Toward that end, OP 10.33 has invested more than $40,000 in cash donations (by Hernandez alone). The group's website states that the candidates they oppose – like Cowen, Lopez and Herrera – are "detrimental" to their goals.
In the case of the suspect Rivera residency, neither Debbie Duke, the port's elections official, nor port counsel Daniel Rentfro, took any stand on the issue and he remained on the ballot.
Rendon has also led a charmed elective existence.
He and former TSC trustee filed on the last day for the TSC board and then – after no one else filed at the end of the day – Torres withdrew leaving Rendon without an opponent.
Rendon is supporting Daniel Pizaña for the TSC board against local attorney Ruben Herrera. They have painted Herrera as a bon vivant and have circulated pictured of Herrera carousing during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. What they don't say is that the photos displayed of Herrera with chorus girls and a sign saying "Help to get drunk" were taken by his wife and placed on his Facebook page as a gag.
The graphic above with Rendon in a hairnet is due to the fact that the Brownsville Independent School District Administration has relegated him to the district's Food and Nutrition Service, a dead end for administrators who have fallen in disfavor with the district.
Pizaña's signs are also featured prominently on the front door of the OP 10.33 headquarters near the intersection of Palm Boulevard and Boca Chica.
Under an order issued January 21, 2016 the Texas Board of Nursing – citing dismal examination pass rates under 80 percent during the last three years – ordered the change in its status from Full Approval With Warning to Conditional Approval.
It was news to some of the trustees.
"We had been kept in the dark about these problems of the nursing program up until now," said one. "The administration never told us anything until now."
As a result, the TSC program is prohibited from enrolling students, will remain on conditional approval until it demonstrates a pass rate for first-time candidates of at least 80 percent on the 2016 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN® exam). That exam has one purpose, to determine if it's safe for students to begin practice as an entry-level nurse. The slide in the scores nursing program exams back in 2013, when the test exam results dipped from 81.02 to 71.30 percent. They continued plummeting to 46.36 percent in 2014 to 57.14 in 2015.
And while 81 out of 102 passed in the 2011 test, only 40 out of 70 candidates passed the exam in 2015 after TSC's status was changed to Full Approval with Warning to Conditional Approval (Click on graphics to enlarge.)
Currently, there are 52 students enrolled in the program. 13 were to have graduated in December 2015, another 30 in May 2016 and nine in May 2017. Their fate is up in the air.
Pizaña is Rendon and Rivera's choice to replace trustee Kiko Rendon on the board who chose not to run for reelection. Pizaña acted as Art Rendon son's mentor" and allowed him to shadow him during his work as an attorney, Rendon's son in currently attending law school.
If Pizaña has the same philosophy as does his booster Art Rendon and Rivera, it will just be a matter of time before the opportunity for local students to enroll for a nursing career vanishes, and they could care less about the students and won't lift a finger to save it.
19 comments:
Pizaña's sign is also in front of the Rendon beer shop on Boca Chica. He is a nice person when you meet him. I think he simply fails to understand he has gotten in bed with the devil.
Rene Torres is also part of this mess. It is no great secret he helped Kiko and Ed bring about the mess at TSC. He made it possible for Art Rendon to win. Before this is all done and over Rene Torres will have lost all of the good will he gained in the past for how he got Art Rendon on the board. It was dishonest and speaks to his character.
The people need to know just how far these people are willing to go to manipulate elections.
Rene putting Art Rendon on the Board should be his legacy - and not a good one at that
Bobby WC
Aside from the disgrace of letting this program slide, it shows what constant vigilance and maintenance is required to get local students to pass anything. The former administration must have worked smart and hard. Credit to them. And the struggle to get any work at all from BISD students is --- let's just say there are staff at BISD working very hard, every day, to have those students reach minimal levels. Brownsville is a city where the students are academically lazy. TSC needs staff, board and president who understand and are willing to do the hard work for the kinds of students we have. Clearly, somebody's blowing it.
Are some of the trustees really that uninformed about how a community college functions?
Yes, there may be only 50 students currently enrolled in the nursing program.
How many TSC students have declared nursing as their major and are in the pipeline completing their prerequisites to apply for admittance in to the program? Nursing is a very popular program. There are usually several hundred declared nursing majors. Not such an insignificant percentage of the total student enrollment after all.
Rene is lobbying to get a building named after him. He has called everyone to intercede before the Board holdouts to convince them to go along with his delousional idea. What an poor man with no self-respect. Give it up Rene, not going to happen since Art can't push this by himself and his "boy" will not be there to serve as anybody's shadow.
Get your facts straight, the TSC LVN Nursing program is doing Great with over 90% passing of State Board Exams. The under-performing program is the ADN Associates Degree in Nursing program.
Shut the fuck up, Blimp! You writing shit on your low-rated blog is enough. Why d you come here, 'cause your mother reads El Rrun Rrun? ha ha ha
South Texas College should simply take over Texas Southmost College
By nature, Mexicans are not good at educating. they are genetically better suited for standing in line with their hands outstretched.
Tony Z
I have seen some low down nonsense on this blog,but this scare tactic take the cake. What a bunch of political bullshit.
I didn't vote for Pizzana just because he's cross eyed. Why doesn't he get that fixed? Crooked eye for a crooked guy.
Rendon no vales madre
Is that the Rendon who worked at the Sheriff's Dept in the early 80's?
I really wish this guy's mother would have spit.
Well good to know Juan that Bobby is one of your seven readers....or is the eighth ?
Rendon should be in prison for what he did at the housing authority board. Feds...are you listening?
When Margarita Barradas was the head of the RN program at the old TSC, the school had the best program in the WHOLE STATE of TEXAS!!!
The UTB-TSC partnership killed many vocational-Technical as well as medical programs. South Texas Voch Tech, TSTC (in Harlingen), the old Kaplan College and all other Voc.Tech. schools that appeared from 1981 to the present, took in ALL the students that stopped attending TSC as a Junior College. The current TSC administrators are too busy fighting among themselves as well as an ignorant board that sees $$$$ over students. A Junior College has student activities, has clubs and organizations, has a bookstore where students can get their TSC materials and feel proud of their school. Current medical students at TSC are those who declared their majors in medicine (nursing) when they registered to enter college. These are NOT the students that were in the medical fields in the Early College High Schools, these are NOT the students who have Emergency Medical Technician, Pharmacy Technician certificates or other areas that they get certified BEFORE graduating from high school. Current students are the ones who AFTER seeing their fellow high school classmates get certifications and better jobs as high school graduates and pursued a higher college degree for better pay, then they decided to follow that career path.
Unfortunately for them, they have to start from scratch. Either that or go to TSTC or any of the other Voc. Tech schools. Get the message TSC board. NOT EVERYBODY is a doctor, lawyer or teacher. A plumer, electrician, nurse, nurse-aid, x-ray tech are also careers.
As well as his nephew Steve Guerra
Talking about Scam, the men running the Brownsville Police Academy are doing one of the worse scams ever. Juanito, please run a story about how they are stealing money, they charge $3,000 for the academy, but at any time the cadet lowers average below 80%, they are kicked out with no refund. The nursing program has something similar but they at least allow the student continue with the course she/he paid for.
Not in the police academy, they kick you out on 1st, 2nd. 3rd, or week 14th. With no refund. So if student does bad on a exam lowers average to 79% they are kicked out. Juan, this is happening to too many young men and women who sacrifice $3,000 and get nothing in return. I think this is a good story for runn runn. I would understand if they refunded the money, or make them retake course, but to take the payment for entire course and get kicked out without out a chance to learn or participate in the course that was paid for is wrong in my book.
Please runn a story on this scam that is an injustice for the community and is affecting our young men and women who are only trying to better themselves only to be taking advantage of by our own local college. Imagine if idea or BISD would throw out students with grades below 80%. So much for no child left behind. If they want small groups of cadets then prescreen and don't steal their hard earned $3,000 and boot them out.
So move to Europe
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