Famed education administrator Danny King is back fighting the dropout problem again. But this time on a larger scale.

MCALLEN, Texas – Those that have followed the career of famed education administrator Daniel P. King over the years will not be surprised to learn he is hustling school superintendents in Hidalgo County to get student dropouts back in school.

They will not be surprised because when he started out as superintendent of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, back in the day, he had to contend with a national report that labeled PSJA a “dropout factory.” 

His response was the nationally recognized Countdown to Zero program, where he not only brought hundreds of dropouts back to school and helped them earn a high school diploma; he also made sure, with the help of South Texas College that they could learn a trade and secure a certificate recognized by employers. 

Now, King is tackling the same issue but on a larger scale. And he has the backing of the Prosperity Task Force, which was set up by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez to fight poverty. 

King, now the executive director of Region One Education Service Center, said the dropout numbers surged during the Covid pandemic. He points out that there 25,000 residents in Hidalgo County aged 18 to 25 who dropped out without a high school diploma. 

But there is money available for the schools to bring them back and help them earn their high school diploma and more.

“How often do we have a huge problem where there’s actually a solution, and there’s actually funding for the solution?” King asked. “That doesn’t happen very often. No, this is an exception, where we have a huge problem, we have a solution that works, a proven solution (that is) evidence based, that works.”

King made his remarks in a Rio Grande Guardian podcast hosed by anchor Mark Hanna. During their conversation, Hanna did the math. If there are 25,000 students aged 18 to 25 in Hidalgo County without a high school diploma, and schools can get $11,000 each to fund them, there is $275 million being left on the table.

“Yes, we have the funding for that. So then in my mind, why would we not do it (work to bring the students back to school)?”

King called it a win-win, win-win, win.

Here is the in-depth conversation King had with Hanna on dropout prevention and recovery:

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