School District Approves Funds for Project GRAD

By Aaron Nelsen, The Brownsville Herald, Texas

May 3–The Brownsville Independent School District board of trustees approved an additional $107,000 for Project GRAD to support its operations through the summer.

The program has experienced financial difficulties, and its continued operation was threatened because of cuts to the federal budget, which funds about 60 percent of the program. The remaining 40 percent comes from individuals, foundations and other external funding sources.

Project GRAD Brownsville is part of Project GRAD USA, and it provides teachers with training aids and gives students who stay in the program through high school the incentive of $1,000 a year, for up to four years while in college.

The board recognized the district’s Duke University Talent Search Identification program participants. Students accepted to the program must be in seventh grade and place in the top 25 percent of the SAT or ACT.

The district had 125 students participate in the program, and 11 of those have qualified to participate in the state recognition ceremony.

Board members also recognized the Destination Imagination Regional Competition winners from Hanna High School, Garcia Middle School, Perkins Middle School and Benavidez Elementary School.

—–

Copyright (c) 2006, The Brownsville Herald, Texas

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.