Friday marks eight weeks since the Santa Fe High School shooting in which 10 people were killed and many other injured after a student opened fired in the school’s art wing. Since then, people from across the world have donated money to help the victims. On Thursday, there was a town hall meeting to help decide how those donations should be distributed. view article

Seventeen Lake Houston area athletes received the $2,000 Texan Live Scholarship from a local company to help jump start their college education. Texan Live handed out more than $35,000 in scholarships to graduating Humble, New Caney and Huffman ISD student athletes during a July 12 luncheon at Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant in Kingwood. To qualify, the athletes had to have played a minimum of two years in a high school sport, received acceptance to an accredited college or university and have a 2.5 grade point average. view article

The Karnes City Independent School District (ISD) has been selected to receive a 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Afterschool grant, well-known in schools as the ACE program. This grant application includes schools in Karnes City, Kenedy, Pawnee, Pettus, Runge, and Stockdale. ACE provides opportunities beyond the school day for academic enrichment, including tutorial services, youth development programs, and career exploration, as well as programming for family members.  view article

he Texas Education Agency is starting the search for organizations to help school districts overhaul special education following a federal finding that the state had effectively denied students with disabilities access to needed services. view article

DeSoto High School’s on-again, off-again valedictorian won’t have to worry about affording her first year of college after all. Destiny Brannon — the graduating senior who lost her valedictorian spot after DeSoto discovered errors in how it calculated its final rankings — will be able to cover first-year tuition costs at the University of Texas at Austin, thanks to the generosity of others. view article

Hooks ISD was awarded the 21st Century CCLC grant from TEA. This $628,616 grant provides afterschool programs for economically disadvantaged and at-risk students attending Hooks ISD. Campuses included in the program are Hooks Elementary School, Hooks Junior High School and Hooks High School. The Hooks “ACE” Afterschool Centers on Education Program will be held Monday through Friday with morning hours and afterschool hours. Participating students will be provided a meal or snack each day, homework will be completed and transportation home is provided. view article

Palestine schools have been awarded a two-year, $1.3-million state grant to bolster academic and mental health services, Palestine Independent School District spokesperson Larissa Loveless said Monday.  The grant will enable the district to expand learning and academic sessions during non-school hours, especially for low-income students attending low-performing schools. It also will fund a conflict resolution officer to work with school mental health services.  Grant programs aim to improve academic performance, as well as student attendance and behavior. view article

Even when Hurricane Harvey seems like a distant memory, the students, teachers and community in the small, rural coastal town of Refugio, are still dealing with the ramifications. For the last 10 months, Refugio ISD educators have balanced meeting the basic needs of students, rebuilding homes and schools, and supporting traumatized students while providing some normalcy through school activities.    view article

Conroe ISD plans to apply to the Texas Education Agency for grant funding related to costs incurred by the district as a result of Hurricane Harvey. The school board authorized the application with a unanimous vote at Tuesday night’s meeting where Deputy Superintendent Dr. Chris Hines provided the update. According to Hines, a series of grant applications are surfacing with a short time line to request permission to apply. “We are not totally up to date on what all the conditions will be and what all the eligibilities (will be),” Hines said. “We are starting to do planning now for this grant process.” view article

The Walton Family Foundation pledged $100 million Tuesday to support racially diverse teachers and school leaders, integrated classrooms, innovative curriculum models like Montessori, district and charter school partnerships, and schools that serve special education students. Those priorities signal a new phase in the foundation’s 20-year philanthropic efforts to increase access to high-quality schools for children across the United States, mainly by funding public charter schools. view article

Galveston Independent School District is pleased to announce the generous funding of five grants from The Moody Foundation. The five grants consist of the following: Tor Kids/Tor Prep After School Program, Safe and Civil Schools CHAMPS, Ready, Set, Read Above!, Causeway Galveston and Galveston Career Connect. Having the opportunity to provide additional resources to our students is crucial in our pursuit to serving the whole child. We are enormously grateful to The Moody Foundation for making these opportunities possible. Generation Moody is a refocus by The Moody Foundation to address and provide exceptional educational experiences for students and staff.  view article

Abilene ISD and three other Big Country school districts collected state grant monies Wednesday to help fund internship programs for students interested in career and technical education-related careers Wochit view article

The Abilene Independent School District and three other Big Country school districts picked up some additional funding Wednesday from the governor, thanks to a special workforce training grant. Board members of Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas gathered Wednesday to distribute the money to the districts, as well as Cisco College and the Region 14 Education Service Center. view article

Two Brownsville Independent School District graduates are among the inaugural class of 300 Gates Scholars recently announced by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Leslie Arrazolo, the third-ranked graduate at Hanna Early College High School, and Rene Menchaca, who ranks fourth in the Class of 2018 at Brownsville Early College High School, were chosen from among more than 28,000 applicants across the nation. HSF officials narrowed the field to 2,000 semifinalists and then 600 finalists, from which the 300 Gates Scholars were chosen. view article

Genevieve Via Cava loved teaching and loved her students. Now, seven years after her death, they are learning just how much. The teacher in Dumont, New Jersey, devoted 45 years of her life to helping students with learning disabilities. After her retirement in 1990, Via Cava continued to visit the school district for which she worked, checking in on classes and sometimes stopping by the superintendent's office. view article

Socorro Independent School District Superintendent José Espinoza, Ed.D. surprised five Team SISD graduating seniors with scholarships for winning the Best in Education Prize essay contest. The essay contest winners were Liliana A. Lira Magallanes from Americas High School; Cheryl Marina Gutierrez from Pebble Hills High School; Veronica Denise Alvarado from Socorro High School; Rafael Ortega from Montwood High School; and Madison L. Ochoa from Mission Early College High School. view article

The Industrial Independent School District recently received a grant through the De-Go-La Resource Conservation and Development Are (De-Go-La) to assist in replacing a 2003 diesel bus. The new bus meets current EPA emission standards and is equipped with seat belts to provide better safety for students.  view article

As Huffman ISD students begin their summer vacation, district employees look back and remember all the accomplishments that have been made this past school year. During the annual Huffman ISD Staff Appreciation Luncheon June 6, the Huffman Education Foundation awarded grants to several teachers across the district for projects to better student learning. view article

The Katy ISD Education Foundation recently announced its sixth year of Inspiring Imagination teacher grant recipients. More than 300 Katy ISD teachers at 42 different campuses were chosen for grants this year. Grant activities range from school gardens to robotics and extend to all subjects and grade levels. Funding will be provided for the 2018-19 school year. view article

Texas children and families will have enhanced opportunities to explore the state's natural resources, thanks to more than $800,000 in 22 grants awarded this year through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP). The grants help fund community-based youth and family outdoors-oriented programs and activities like camping, hiking, fishing, kayaking and service projects. view article

Angleton ISD could see more local employees or students become teachers after being awarded a $60,000 “Grow Your Own” grant by the Texas Education Agency. The grant is intended to fund higher education for high school students, paraprofessionals and other district staff, Angleton ISD Grant Writer Dena Cline said. The grant can fund the last two years toward a bachelor’s degree, so anyone with 60 or more college credit hours can approach administration about using this grant to fund the rest of their education, Cline said. This is true for any district employees, even if they do not already work in a classroom setting, she said. view article

West Orange Cove Consolidated Independent School District (WOCCISD) Education Foundation awarded a $10,000 STEM grant to West Orange – Stark (WOS) Elementary School on Friday during a special end of year program. The grant award was funded through Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. view article

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos awarded a $1 million Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant to the Texas school district affected by the May 18 shooting at Santa Fe High. The money is to aid in the “healing and recovery process.” “No student, parent or educator should have to experience the trauma suffered by so many at Santa Fe High School and other schools throughout the country,” said DeVos, according to KTRK. “Every day, the work of the Federal Commission on School Safety grows more urgent. We continue to focus on identifying proven ways to prevent violence and keep our students safe at school.” view article

Southlake Mayor Laura Hill posted a YouTube video Wednesday of her official statement regarding the city of Southlake’s new school safety initiative. Hill said the city is looking to partner with the city’s Crime Control Prevention District to provide more than $500,000 in the 2018-19 school year to explore and implement new and innovative safety and security initiatives at Southlake schools. view article

The Leander ISD Educational Excellence Foundation distributed $15,000 during its Spring Grant Patrol on May 24. During the Grant Patrol, LEEF board members and LISD Superintendent Dan Troxell rode on a Leander school bus and surprised teachers in their classrooms by awarding them with LEEF Innovative Teaching Grants, said LEEF Interim Executive Director Coleen Brighton.  view article

Gene Jones celebrates Arlington ISD art students at AT&T Stadium and caps the evening with a suprise! view article

Cleveland High School students pursuing an education in nursing and other medical fields will enjoy upgrades in the health science lab and classroom next school year thanks to a $5,474 grant from the Cleveland ISD Education Foundation. On Wednesday, May 23, Cherie Watts, R.N. and director of the CHS Health Science Technology Department, accepted the check from school and education foundation administrators. “The Cleveland High School Health Science Technology program is grateful for all the support that the Foundation has given. This is our third award in three years from the Foundation,” Watts said. “In total, the HST program has been awarded close to $20,000 for the educational tools needed to provide a quality educational experience for the students.” view article

The Dallas Cowboys Art Collection is the pride and joy of Gene Jones. While the actual art pieces are quite expensive, the opportunities they create are priceless. For the third straight year, the Jones family and Arlington ISD have teamed up to give fifth graders one of those priceless opportunities. On Wednesday, students got a tour of the world-renowned art collection, then had the opportunity to create their own artwork inspired by what they saw. These pieces were then put on display inside AT&T Stadium at the annual reception. view article

Orangefield Elementary and High School libraries received a $12,200 grant from the Lowe’s Charitable Foundation. This money will be used to refurnish the libraries after the devastation of Harvey.  view article

Highland Park ISD received a $10 million grant Tuesday — the largest donation in the district's 104-year history — to support the long-term needs of its teachers. The Clements Foundation, named for the late former Texas Gov. Bill Clements, awarded the gift to the Highland Park Education Foundation, which raises private funds that cannot be diverted through state recapture legislation.  view article

The Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) announced Tuesday afternoon that it has received an unprecedented $10 million gift from Clements Foundation to establish the William P. Clements, Jr. Fund designated to meet the needs of teachers in the Highland Park Independent School District. The gift is the largest in the history of the Education Foundation and the district. "This gift recognizes our teachers' skill and dedication, and shows our appreciation of their commitment to our students," Nancy Seay said. Seay is the daughter of Governor Bill Clements and a board member of the Clements Foundation. "The goal of this gift to the Highland Park Education Foundation is to help the school district support our teachers." view article

Ensuring students have equal access to technology is something Godley ISD officials always work towards. The district was recently awarded a $50,000 grant to help them achieve that goal. The Texas Education Agency announced recently that GISD and 147 other Texas school districts and charter schools were awarded a 2018-19 Technology Lending grant aimed at ensuring equitable access to qualify digital resources and courses for all students.  Technology Lending grants provide school systems funds to purchase technology devices that are loaned to students for access to digital instruction materials off campus, according to the TEA. The grant also provides personal student learning devices and internet access for students who would not otherwise have access to digital instructional materials off campus. view article

Four local nonprofits received a big surprise on Thursday. They received nearly $1 million in donations from philanthropist Kym Rapier. The charity leaders thought they were just meeting for coffee at Nicha's Mexican Restaurant Thursday morning. Instead, they were each gifted with checks ranging from $100,000 to $350,000. view article

Chapel Hill High School senior Caroline Onwuzu is working to help people in third world countries with their eyesight. She recently won thousands of dollars in scholarship money from the Taco Bell Foundation to further her education. This money can be life-changing for anyone, but Onwuzu plans to use it to change other people's lives. view article

Thanks to a generous donation from Gemini, Inc. of Taylor, the Taylor Educational Enrichment (TEE) Foundation will now be able to fund a Robotics Academy at Legacy Early College High School, a 3D printer at Taylor High School for printing prosthetic hands for children born with amniotic band syndrome, and a CNC Router at Taylor High School for the development of skills and creativity in manufacturing. The local sign products company presented a check to the TEE Foundation on Wednesday for $30,268 to invest in Taylor’s future. “We appreciate the fact that Gemini has stepped up and done this for us,” said Thomas Martinez, TEE Foundation board member and Vice President of Development. “We hope this is a long partnership and we will be able to put programs in place that will benefit them as well as our students as they graduate and become employees in the work force.” view article