About Region 12 Schools

Region 12 Education Service Center (ESC) is one of twenty such administrative centers established by the Texas State Legislature in 1967 for the purpose of providing support to local public and charter schools. Although the ESCs have no legal jurisdiction over the independent school districts and charter schools, they do offer assistance with administration, special education, professional development, technology, curriculum assistance, co-operatives, business and finance, and several other areas in which local school leaders may need training or support.

Region 12 covers twelve counties in central Texas, stretching from Mills County on the west to Freestone and Navarro Counties on the east and from Bell County on the south to Bosque and Hill Counties on the north. The main administrative office for Region 12 ESC is located in the city of Waco. In order to provide more convenient access for local educators, however, the region has also established a number of satellite offices across the area, including in the cities of Nolanville, Teague, Hillsboro, and Corsicana. These offices provide a number of services to local public schools and serve as professional development centers for faculty and staff.

In addition to helping local school systems like the other ESCs across the state, Region 12 ESC also offers support to the community. Fundraisers for the Annual United Way Campaign have generated thousands of dollars in the past several years, including $8,664 in the 2006-07 school year. In the 2007 annual blood drive, employees donated a total of fifty pints of blood, and the bi-monthly food drive usually raises over eighty pounds of food for the Family Abuse Shelter. Annual school supply and jacket drives directly benefit students. These and other activities are an important part of the work that ESC Region 12 does for local communities and their children.

Honors and Awards

During the 2007-08 school year, four schools from Region 12 were recognized as Title I Distinguished Schools. This award recognizes schools that, along with having at least 40% of their students from poor families, demonstrate consistent academic success, as measured by receiving an “exemplary” rating on the Texas Education Agency’s Academic Excellence Indicator System in the current school year and at least a “recognized” rating each of the previous two years.

Region 12 schools have also received recognition on the national level for their success. Two elementary schools were honored as No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools in 2005. One more school was honored in 2006, and still another was recognized in 2007.

Teaching in Region 12

If you live in or anticipate moving to the area, Region 12 schools provide wonderful employment opportunities. A number of positions are available right now; in fact, Region 12’s website currently has numerous listings of open certified and non-certified positions available in schools across the region. Starting salaries for teachers vary by school district but generally range between $30,000 and $40,000, with stipends available for those who are willing to lead extra-curricular activities and who teach in high-demand areas, such as mathematics, special education, or bilingual education. The region’s website provides links to the majority of school districts’ websites, where you can find complete information on salary schedules and the hiring process.

For all of this information and more, check out Region 12 ESC’s website: http://www.esc12.net/default.html

Web-Centric Alternative Certification Program

If you are interested in teaching in one of Texas Region 12’s schools or in any other school in the state but do not have a teaching certificate, the Web-Centric Alternative Certification Program (WCACP) provides an exciting opportunity for you to become a certified teacher is less than 18-24 months. During your one-year teaching internship, you will be paid equivalent to a first year teacher.

To be accepted into the WCACP, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum 2.5 grade point average. Depending on the certification area of interest, you must have at least 12 credit hours or pass the Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) to be accepted into the program.