San Felipe Independent School District

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. On the east side of San Felipe Creek, in Val Verde County, there's a story about a community that refused to be written out of its own future. The historically Hispanic community there had made education a priority from its early days, and by 1883 they had already put up a schoolhouse.

That's not nothing. That is a statement. When Del Rio Independent School District was created in 1890, San Felipe wasn't included.

A lesser community might have shrugged and moved on. This one didn't. By 1909, they had two schools.

Two. And through the 1920s, as immigrants came from Mexico and the school population kept growing, San Felipe kept building on what it had. Then came 1928.

Del Rio I.S.D. annexed a large portion of San Felipe Common School District, including most of the community and both of those schools. The stated reason was to gain tax revenue. San Felipe residents pushed back.

School trustees Santos Garza, Hernan Cadena, and Andres Cortinas led the opposition, and they took it to court. A district court sided with the community and reversed the annexation. Now, a win like that could have been the end of the story.

But Santos Garza and attorney Rodolfo Gutierrez saw something further down the road. They worked to create an independent school district. Garza presented a petition to the Val Verde County school trustees, and in 1929, San Felipe Independent School District was formally established.

The very next year, 1930, the district completed a new high school building. It became a focal point of the community, and you can imagine what it meant to see that building go up after everything it took to get there. San Felipe I.S.D. served Del Rio's east side for decades, right up until 1971, when a federal court ruled that it must consolidate with Del Rio I.S.D. for integration purposes.

Both districts were abolished, and the new San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District was formed. The institution was gone, but the story wasn't finished. Today, San Felipe Independent School District is remembered as an integral part of the movement for educational and social equality for Americans of Mexican descent in Texas.

They built a schoolhouse by 1883, they fought off an annexation, they built a high school, and they left a legacy that outlasted the district itself. That's the east side of San Felipe Creek.

What the marker says

From its early days, the historically Hispanic community on the east side of San Felipe Creek has made education a priority, erecting a schoolhouse by 1883. Although the 1890 creation of Del Rio Independent School District (I.S.D.) did not include San Felipe, residents persisted and by 1909, the community had two schools. During the 1920s, San Felipe’s school population continued to increase as immigrants came here from Mexico. In 1928, Del Rio I.S.D. annexed a large portion of San Felipe Common School District, including most of the community and both schools, in an effort to gain tax revenue. San Felipe residents, led by school trustees Santos Garza, Hernan Cadena and Andres Cortinas, opposed the action. A district court sided with the community, reversing the annexation. Santos Garza and attorney Rodolfo Gutierrez then worked to create an independent school district; Garza presented a petition to Val Verde County school trustees, and San Felipe Independent School District was formally established in 1929. The District completed a new high school building in 1930, which became a focal point of the community. San Felipe I.S.D. served Del Rio’s east side until 1971, when a federal court ruled that it must consolidate with Del Rio I.S.D. for integration purposes. Both districts were abolished and the new San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District was formed. Today San Felipe Independent School District continues to be remembered as an integral part of the movement for educational and social equality for Americans of Mexican descent in Texas. (2009)