(ARLINGTON, TX) - The Arlington ISD Education Foundation recently celebrated surpassing the $2 million mark in AISD giving to classrooms through innovative teacher grants and academic initiatives. The Foundation’s recent distribution of $255,707 to various academic initiatives put them over the milestone:
· $100,000 Baylor Orthopedic & Spine Hospital at Arlington’s gift for health occupation, wellness, and sports medicine students.
· $105,707 includes an Arlington ISD Education Foundation gift and a $53,000 Sid W. Richardson Foundation matching grant for the AISD High Quality PreK3 Initiative
· $20,000 Bank of America Foundation gift for a job readiness program within the new Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center
· $30,000 General Motors funding for AISD STEM-related projects
“Our level of support has grown where we surpassed $700,000 in giving back to the AISD just in the last three fiscal years,” said Education Foundation Board President Chad Bates. “This year, we are privileged to award a record-breaking monetary amount in grants and academic initiatives, offering our district’s teachers and students the opportunity to engage in innovative educational experiences. This is all a testament to our exemplary school district, committed AISD leadership, a strong Education Foundation staff, and our passionate group of foundation board of directors.”
“It is exciting to witness our community actively engaging in education by supporting our Education Foundation,” said AISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos. “We are grateful for this organization’s overwhelming support so that we can offer quality educational opportunities for our 62,000-plus students.”
Including this year’s grant awards and recent funding commitments, the Education Foundation has distributed approximately $2.1 million in funding to the AISD. “It’s essential for us to create opportunities for our students because they are our future,” said Education Foundation Executive Director Brian White. White said that 70 percent of AISD’s student population is economically disadvantaged with a median household income of $24,000 or less. “We are so grateful for our community’s investment in public education and for them to recognize this need.” Earlier this year, the foundation awarded 20 classroom instruction grants to AISD schools totaling more than $97,000.