The South Texas Independent School District got its start in 1964 as a rehabilitation school district and over the years developed into a multi-county vocational magnet school district with campuses in Hidalgo and Cameron counties.

Over the last six decades, South Texas ISD has always called Mercedes home. It’s a distinction that was celebrated recently when the school district celebrated the dedication of its new administrative and learning center, which is located along Expressway 83 near the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets. The opening of the spacious and elegant 45,000-sqauare-foot facility is another piece of recent development along a growing expressway corridor in Mercedes.

“What you gave us is a flagship,” Mercedes Mayor Oscar Montoya said at a mid-November ribbon cutting for the new facility. “We really appreciate that, the vibrancy of it, the fact you’ve made a difference in our town.”

The historical ties between South Texas ISD and Mercedes were recognized by Amanda Odom, the district’s administrator for public relations and marketing.

“We’re very appreciative to Mercedes for the opportunity to grow here and to be here,” Odom said at a ribbon cutting hosted by the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce. “They’ve always been here when we’ve needed anything at all.”

‘Adds To Motif’

The 2024-25 marks the second school year that the new administrative building has served as the hub for South Texas ISD.

The school district purchased a vacant building about five years ago with the intent of redesigning and repurposing it into an administrative headquarters for its multi-campus system. The district has campuses in Edinburg, Mercedes and Brownsville, and has formed recent partnerships with school districts in Willacy County. Keeping its administrative offices in Mercedes made sense given the city’s location in the heart of the Valley.

Supply chain issues and other delays related to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021 and 2021 caused disruptions in transforming what was once a furniture store into a multi-story administrative and learning center facility. The building was finally completed in time for the start of the 2023-24 school year.

The new facility is located next door to the La Quinta Inn & Suites and in close proximity to the outlet mall. Retail development is expected to form in the open space between the South Texas ISD administrative building and the outlet mall in the coming year.

“All of this area is pretty much growing,” Mayor Montoya said. “This building (ISD offices) adds to the motif of the area. It’s a beautiful building and a strong structure that adds vibrancy to this whole area.”

‘Solidifies Our Statement’

The programs of study offered by the South Texas ISD are diverse and range from engineering to information technology to law and public service.

The district’s signature programs are in the health sciences and offer a number of state and national certifications students can receive before graduation in areas like medical assisting, medical billing and coding, and pharmacy technicians. The district offers education in grades 6-12 at six RGV campuses. Two are located in the hub city of Mercedes, with two as well in Edinburg, with one campus in San Benito and another one in Brownsville/Olmito.

Those campuses along with recent partnerships formed with rural school districts in Willacy County gives South Texas ISD a large footprint in the Valley. Odem says Mercedes is “such a perfect location in being central to the three counties we serve.”

For the Mercedes mayor, the ongoing commitment of South Texas ISD to his city represents the advantages of doing business in Mercedes.

“It solidifies our statement that Mercedes is in the heart of the Valley,” Mayor Montoya said. “This is another example of people taking advantage of our position in the area and it goes along with the growth we’ve been having.”

By Ric Cavazos