Fort Bend ISD Turns 50

Fort Bend Independent School District is 50 years old and will celebrate its anniversary with events and activities that are planned throughout the 2009-2010 school year. The Missouri City Independent School District and Sugar Land Independent School District were consolidated by election on April 18, 1959, forming Fort Bend Independent School District. The first school year for the newly formed district was in 1959-1960.

Before the district was consolidated in 1959, Louis P. Rodgers was superintendent of the Missouri City School District, and Edward Mercer was superintendent of the Sugar Land School District. Rodgers was named the first superintendent of Fort Bend ISD. He served until his death in May 1967. Mercer, who had been assistant superintendent, was named superintendent upon Rodger's death and served until his retirement in August 1974.

The district is unveiling its 50th anniversary logo with the theme for the 2009-2010 school year — Fifty Years of Promising Futures, Building a Legacy of Leaders —to coincide with the consolidation in April 1959. The celebration will officially begin at the district’s Leadership Institute on August 5, 2009. The theme will be used throughout the year on the district’s website with an enhanced webpage featuring a timeline with history lessons, educational resources, and historical photos. Feature stories and important information about the district’s 50 years of history will also be an integral part of internal and external print publications and at district events throughout the school year.

In 1960, a birthday celebration was held for the new school district, and Fort Bend ISD is planning to host a 50th Anniversary reception for the community in the fall of the 2009-2010 school year with “birthday cake” at the Fort Bend ISD Administrative Annex. There will also be a culminating event scheduled to coincide with School Board Recognition Month in January 2010.