 | 1965 Title III of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act passed by Congress provided limited funding
for instruction-related training and services for teachers. Twenty
centers were established by the Texas Legislature to provide Title
III-funded services. |
| 1967 ESC-2 headquarters established
at 109 N. Chaparral in Corpus Christi. ESC-2 Media Services began
operation. |
| 1969 Statewide computer services
system was established in centers. |
| 1971 Centers received initial base
state support for regional services to schools, regional
coordination in planning, and for center administrative costs. |
| 1979 ESC-2 purchased the Fedway
Department Store building and parking lot at 209 N. Water and moved
its headquarters to that location. |
| 1984 Service centers began a close
working relationship with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in two
areas: to raise the quality of school programs and to bring
uniformity and continuity to school district operations. Centers
began decentralized technical assistance function in implementation
of the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS).
Centers took the lead in training of local school boards. |
| 1986 School Health Program training
and technical assistance initiated at ESC-2. |
| 1989 ESC-2 established Alternative
Certification Program (later called Educator Preparation and
Certification Program.) Commissioner was authorized to enter into
performance contracts with centers for technical assistance and
other services related to accreditation, training, and curriculum,
and the implementation of PEIMS. |
| 1992 Field Service Agent positions
established at ESC-2. |
| Cooperative Purchasing Program
established at ESC-2. |
| State Board of Education rules
revised to provide greater authority of the commissioner in three
areas of center operations: selection of center executive director,
center budget approval, and annual performance evaluation of the
executive director. Decentralization of agency certification office
and child nutrition program centers. |
| T-STAR (Texas School
Telecommunications Access Resource) established at ESC-2 for
distance learning. |
| 1995 Section 8 of Senate Bill One
restructured centers, identifying core services and a market-driven
structure. |
| General Appropriations Act
decentralized several TEA functions to centers. Service Centers
became the technical and coordinated assistance arm of the Texas
Education Agency. |
| The Texas Education
Telecommunications Network (TETN), the statewide educational
network, established at ESC-2. |
| 1996 Management Information System
established at ESC-2. |
| 1997 75th Texas Legislature
re-authorized the centers and adopted a revised Section 8 clarifying
the centers’ role in improving student performance. |
| The commissioner was directed to
develop a uniform system of reporting for the centers, including
information on client satisfaction. |
| 1999 The 76th Texas Legislature
authorized the Texas Reading Initiative with intensive reading
training for all kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers
scheduled for the summers of 1999, 2000, and 2001. The ESCs serve as
the primary administrators of the training. |
| 2000 ESC-2 committed to a complete
renovation of its 50 year-old facility. Master Reading Teacher
Certification Program established at ESC-2. |
| 2001 The Coastal Bend
Telecommunications Network and the Distance Learning Program were
established in Region 2. The ESC-2 expanded its marketing of
programs and services with creation of a full-time professional
marketing position. The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act
was reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act. |
| 2002 The renovation of the ESC-2
building was essentially complete on August 28. The entire first floor
of the newly renovated ESC-2 building was flooded on October 24 by heavy
rains, causing about $1.7 million worth of damage. Extensive
reconstruction was required. The Quality Development of Childcare
Services program was established by a competitive contract with the
Workforce Development Board. Texas Senate Proclamation No. 1040
recognized the ESC-2 for its 35 years of outstanding contributions to
the school systems in Region 2 and was commended “for its exemplary
contributions to the educational system of Texas.” |
| 2003 The ESC-2 reduced the number of FTE
positions by 30 in response to state budget reductions. The first annual
Educational Technology Expo and Library Media Book Fair was held on
January 7. |
| 2004 The ESC-2 offered its first online
courses. ESC-2’s executive director since 1991, Dr. Ernest Zamora,
retired. The ESC-2’s first female executive director, Dr. Linda P.
Villarreal, was selected. Regional ESCs underwent Sunset Act process,
including comprehensive review by Legislative Budget Board; ESCs were
recommended by Sunset Commission to be continued. |
| 2005 The ESC-2 conducted its first
online customer satisfaction survey and program evaluation. The ESC-2
strengthened its core subject professional staff by adding math,
reading, and science FTE positions. Over 24,100 educators (duplicated
numbers) registered for ESC-2 professional development during the school
year 2004-2005 |
