SUBMITTED REPORT
Hemphill Elementary School Assistant Principal Dr. Jesse Porras Jr. died at home Tuesday due to an illness, Hays CISD has announced.
Porras had been Hemphill’s assistant principal for 10 years and was a much beloved figure on campus, according to a district news release.
“He was proud of our school. He loved our kids and loved our staff,” said Hemphill Elementary Principal Paige Collier. “We were his second home. We loved him and will miss him dearly.”
Students, teachers, and staff learned of Dr. Porras’ death Wednesday after arriving at school. Counselors are on campus to help with the initial grieving process. Throughout the day students drew pictures and made cards for Dr. Porras’ family. He is survived by his wife Judith and daughter Leah. The campus also sent a letter home to parents.
Dr. Porras was born in 1953 in Elgin, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Porras Sr. After graduating from Manor High School in 1971, he attended the University of Texas at Austin’s Extension Division Education Program and Austin Community College. He enrolled at St. Edward’s University in Austin in 1982, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Bilingual/Bicultural Education.
Following his college graduation in 1984, Dr. Porras, began his teaching career in the Austin Independent School District. He taught various grade levels at both Langford and Palm Elementary Schools until January 2002, when he joined Hays CISD.
During his teaching career, Dr. Porras continued his education. In 1989, he earned a Master’s degree in Multicultural Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1998, he was awarded his Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin.
In memory of and tribute to the immeasurable impact Dr. Porras had on the Hemphill campus and the thousands of young lives he encouraged and enriched during his nearly 30-year career in education, the staff and students at Hemphill Elementary will plant a memorial tree in his honor later this fall. Funeral services have not yet been arranged at the time of this news release.
