Liberty Hill Education Foundation reports record grants and $40,000 in senior scholarships

The Liberty Hill Education Foundation told the school board Jan. 22 that it awarded the district a record number of teacher grants and distributed scholarships and program support to students and staff during the past year.

Foundation representative Mr. Bulls (identified in the presentation) said the foundation awarded 16 scholarships at $2,500 each for graduating seniors — a total of $40,000 — and approved 56 teacher grants after receiving 63 applications. He told trustees the foundation made targeted investments such as Grow Your Own paraprofessional certification support and funds for Panther Academy scholarships.

Mr. Bulls described the foundation’s “Grama Patrol,” a surprise campus recognition event before Christmas that included board members, district leaders and foundation volunteers presenting large checks and celebrations to teachers. He said teachers valued both the financial awards and the visible community recognition.

The presenter reported total funds returned to the district of about $187,985 for the year. The foundation also highlighted a partnership with the local Chamber of Commerce that helped revive the Jingle Bell 5K; the Chamber donated $11,000 to the foundation and contributed about $3,000 back to campus PTOs. The foundation named its two major annual fundraisers as the Make the Difference Gala in March (entertainment: Cory Morrow) and the Derby in the Hill in September.

Trustees thanked the foundation leaders for supporting teacher recruitment and retention initiatives and campus-level projects. The foundation said it has a memorandum of understanding with the district, 20 board members (16 voting), a paid development contractor and recurring programming that includes scholarship categories (general, Walker Tough, and a teacher-nominated scholarship) and staff appreciation efforts.

No board action was required on the presentation; the foundation’s report was received as informational.