Dear Canutillo Community,
Friday morning was a delicious one in the Canutillo Independent School District as cooks from every kitchen in the District gathered at Canutillo High School for the first ever CISD Child Nutrition Services Menudo Cook Off. Each kitchen brought a batch of their famous menudo for judges and other participants to taste. In the end, our judges selected Canutillo High School as the best menudo in Canutillo.
I had a chance to taste all 10 menudos and I honestly can’t pick one over the other. They were all delicious. I want to thank our cafeteria workers for taking part in this event with such enthusiasm and pride. Their work is reflected in the quality of food they serve our kids every day. I also want to thank our two judges, Telemundo El Paso anchor Karla Mariscal and EPISD Food Services Director Laura Duran, for helping us pick the winners. It is a job I do not envy.
It’s worth noting that second place went to Reyes Elementary School and third place to Canutillo Middle. And don’t worry, the other kitchens will have their chance at vengeance next year when we host our second cook off. Who knows, maybe we’ll have another type of cook off before then, too! Stay tuned!
The Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday voted to make November 8 a paid holiday for all staff in the District. That day is Election Day and the day is meant to encourage all of our employees and eligible students to get out and vote.
There was some news coverage about the intent of the decision from the Board being of benefit to the District. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the real reason the District began discussing this option was to encourage civic engagement and teach our students the importance of participating in the democratic process. Of course, the District has the Every Child, Every School Canutillo Bond on the ballot on Nov. 8, but we are determined to follow all state rules and not tell our employees how they should vote.
As a reminder to all, early voting is ongoing through Nov. 4 and the Canutillo ISD Central Office is currently hosting early voting. Stop by!
The Canutillo ISD Financial Services Department presented some wonderful news to the community this week. The District is once again the recipient of a Superior Achievement rating from the Texas Education Agency for its 2022 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). This means that the District is going above and beyond in its duty to be a good fiscal steward of the tax money the public entrusts to us.
Out of the potential 100 points the District could receive, CISD received 98. The only deductions came because of our debt service related to the purchase of laptops for students during the pandemic. Frankly, those are two points I’m willing to give up, since those laptops helped our students stay connected and learning during their home learning process.
Congratulations to the Financial Services Department and to CISD as a whole for this amazing designation.
Have a great weekend, Canutillo! See you next week!
Pedro Galaviz
Superintendent of Schools