Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo started his tenure at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District on October 1, 2019.  

Under his leadership, PSJA ISD embarked on an ambitious goal of updating the district’s Vision and Mission, a process that had not occurred in over two decades. The three-month venture gathered feedback from all district stakeholders through a series of focus groups and surveys. This work also led to the district’s new Strategic Direction, focused on continuing the legacy of excellence at PSJA ISD. 

The worldwide COVID-19 shutdown occurred only a few months later, creating an unprecedented obstacle for all. Dr. Arredondo, prioritized health and safety at PSJA ISD, ensuring all students and staff were provided with the necessary resources to continue to live and learn through the pandemic.  

PSJA ISD became one of the first to have a curriculum online for students to continue instruction while at home. Equipping all facilities with the necessary elements to prevent the spread of the virus, such as air purifying systems, partitions, temperature checkpoints and its own live COVID-19 Dashboard to keep the community inform of cases within the district.  

PSJA also became the first school district in Texas to be approved to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, assisting in decreasing the number of cases in the county by providing this preventive measure to over 40,000 people in the last two years. 

Through Dr. Arredondo’s vision, prior to the state’s approval of a virtual learning model for the 2021-2022 school year, PSJA ISD opened its own Virtual Learning Program as an additional option for students at a higher risk of getting the virus, assuring learning gaps were decreased among this population. 

Staff support was also instrumental during this time. Dr. Arredondo secured the continuation of an annual salary increase for all staff, as well as an additional recruitment/retention and COVID-19 vaccine stipend for the 2021-2022 year.  

The district’s new Social and Emotional Learning and Wraparound Services Program has also added support to students and staff by providing a comprehensive plan to connect non-academic resources that will improve the well-being of all students.  

As a former Educator, Principal and Administrator of the Year, Dr. Arredondo began his public education career as an English Teacher at Milby High School in Houston ISD, the largest public school system in the state. He was soon tapped as Principal for McReynolds Middle School, which faced closure for failing to meet the state’s “Acceptable” accountability rating. The McReynolds team worked over a 3-year period to exceed the status quo and reach the “Recognized” accountability rating. 

After six years at McReynolds Middle School, Dr. Arredondo was promoted to lead Austin High School during the state’s transition to a new accountability system. Austin High School earned the “Met Standard” rating in its first two years while garnering academic Distinctions.  

Dr. Arredondo then moved to a district-wide role as Assistant Superintendent for Family and Community Engagement. Under his leadership, family engagement programs expanded to provide significantly more services and community-integrated resources for early literacy, childhood education, and many others that help create more opportunities for students’ success. He was promoted to Area Superintendent, overseeing 43 schools with a population of 31,000 students in the city’s Northwest region, dedicated to providing comprehensive wraparound services for students’ varying social and emotional needs and college-ready instruction and support for all students. 

A graduate of Texas public schools, Dr. Arredondo received his Doctor of Education degree in Professional Leadership from the University of Houston. Dr. Arredondo is married to Veronica, a bilingual educator and college readiness coach. They have two sons, Jorge Antonio and Leonardo, and a daughter, Vivian. Their two younger children currently attend PSJA ISD Schools.