PREMONT, Texas — The Texas Education Agency awarded just four Community Partnerships Planning Grants to school districts in the state. One of those districts is Premont Independent School District.
With the $300,000 grant, Premont ISD will create the 'Premont Compass Program.'
“This grant is going to give us additional resources to help us build on what we already have, and to implement new programs with the community,” said Lilly Rodriguez, the parent liaison for Premont ISD.
The grant will allow the school district to provide programs to improve education for students, as well as physical and emotional-mental health for students.
“Knowing that this grant is going to provide us with things that we don’t really have much access to, especially when we talk about the mental health part of things, it’s going to be exciting,” Rodriguez said. “Some of the things the grant is going to allow are going to benefit in so many ways.”
Since the grant was received as part of the TEA’s Community Partnership Planning Grants, the community will be involved in the Premont Compass Program as well.
“We just want to make sure this is a wraparound program, that everybody is involved, and ultimately this is going to benefit our students,” Rodriguez said. “Of course, this is a team effort, so everything that comes out of this is going to be due to the work of everybody involved. It’s going to be the school district, the community, our parents, our families. So, that way, with this grant money, we can make sure we’re using it to the best of our ability to provide everything needed by our students.”
The Premont Compass Program will create after-school programs, allow for open gym sessions, family engagement events and more.
Clarissa Ortega will be working alongside Rodriguez to make sure the program runs smoothly. She said the inclusion of more than just educational material for students, and making it an all-encompassing program, will be a major benefit to the community.
“I think that will kind of be the fun part of it. We’ll be able to call people in who are going to be of interest to our children, and teach them in a fun, loving way,” she said.
Both Ortega and Rodriguez are parents of Premont ISD students as well. As parents, they are excited for the benefits this program will have with their children.
“Due to the pandemic, we have seen a bunch of children, including my children, struggle with learning gaps,” Ortega said. “I feel, with this extra grant money, we’ll be able to fill in those gaps, and find somebody to help our children with what they need.”
“Just knowing the school district is going to be working with our community, and the parents, it’s a wraparound program where everyone is involved, I think this is going to benefit our school district in many ways,” Rodriguez said. “We’re very, very excited about this grant, and we look forward to implementing all the programs we have coming in and outside of school.”
The hope is to get the Premont Compass Program implemented quickly. Premont ISD wants it in place starting in November.
“There’s not much that our students will lack here when they’re in school, because it’s going to be offered,” Rodriguez said.
