Superintendent’s update for the week of September 4, 2023
I want to thank the Vega Community and the Vega ISD staff, students, and school board for allowing me to be a small part of the Vega Longhorn family the past few weeks! I am Ray Cogburn, retired Executive Director of Region 16 Education Service Center and past Superintendent of Shamrock ISD. After 40 years in education, I retired two years ago. I now have the opportunity to serve as your interim superintendent as I assist the school board in selecting your next district leader.
In my years at Region 16, I worked with all 61 school districts in the area providing services such as training for school board members, superintendents, principals, and teachers. Our team provided technical assistance to districts for federal programs and grant management, finance and fiscal compliance, technology and cybersecurity services, national breakfast and lunch programs, Special Education services, Head Start and Early Head Start classes, accountability, curriculum, and much more.
I am honored to be invited to Vega ISD to share a portion of these experiences with the outstanding staff and students. I can tell you there is not a better, more caring, and talented group of professionals in the Texas Panhandle. The students they serve are exceptional. You, as parents, grandparents, and community members have done a wonderful job raising and supporting these young people.
As we face financial challenges in all Texas Public Schools, we are handed unfunded mandates by the state, losses in property values and decreases in student enrollment. We see less money to support educational initiatives. The real test is how much can we cut out of the annual budget without experiencing a loss in programs and the decline in the quality of education at Vega ISD. I want to assure you that the school board, administration, and staff are working hard to be good stewards of your tax dollars. We will all continue to strive to cut expenditures and explore new avenues for funding opportunities.
I am partnering with your school board as a “Team of Eight” to provide you with more information in the coming weeks as we work together for the betterment and continued support of Vega ISD. Much thanks to Mrs. Quincy Taylor for giving us a forum to share this information. I encourage anyone with questions to come by my office and visit. I look forward to meeting you all. Go Longhorns!