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Congressman Gonzalez Announces $8.5 Million USDA Loan for Edcouch-Elsa ISD

February 12, 2018

EDCOUCH, Texas – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development approved a loan of $8,540,00 for the Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District (ISD) in Edcouch, Texas. The funds will be used to build a Career and Technology Program building and maintenance facility building for the school district. The existing High School Career & Technology Education Building is not equipped to provide students with the vocational certifications necessary to enter the workforce.

"South Texas is home to a robust vocational and trade industry that requires the very best from its professionals," Congressman Gonzalez said. "Thanks to this loan from the USDA, students in the Edcouch-Elsa ISD Career and Technology Program will be certified and sufficiently prepared to pursue a career in welding, construction supervision, agriculture, or automotive repair."

"We are excited about this new building because it is incredibly overdue. Our school district has been waiting a long time for these updates, so this loan makes that possible," Edcouch-Elsa ISD Assistant Superintendent, Frances Rocha said. "The new Career and Technology Building will afford a lot of great opportunities for our students. We look forward to having this facility go in as soon as possible, so the community can benefit from all that it has to offer."

The new 41,800 square foot Career and Technology Building will house classrooms, vocational shop spaces, and a computer lab and designated area for the ROTC program under Edcouch-Elsa ISD. A Livestock Building, featuring 16,000 square feet for the agricultural program, will be built alongside a greenhouse for horticulture education programs, in addition to the 9,640 square foot maintenance facility.

The loan for the USDA will allow Edcouch-Elsa ISD to update their facilities to include certificate programs in:

  • Welding
  • Construction Supervision
  • Automotive Technology
  • Auto Collision Repair

Congressman Gonzalez looks forward to the opening of the new facilities and the continued success of the Edcouch-Elsa ISD Career and Technology Program. Since coming to Congress in 2017, the congressman has pledged his support for students wishing to pursue a trade or vocational path. He is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 3831, the Professional Pell Education Learning (PROPEL) Act, and was proud to support strong funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act in his fiscal year 2018 appropriations requests.