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Tyler ISD Head Start: 200‑seat grant cap and 16‑student wait list; expansion requires separate grant
Summary
Head Start director told the board Tyler ISD holds a 200‑seat Head Start grant (the Dallas Office of Head Start determines allocations). At the time of the report the program had 197 enrolled students and 16 on the wait list; district officials said expansion would require applying for additional county grants (e.g., GetCap).
Brandy Holland, director of Head Start for Tyler ISD, briefed the Board on program governance, eligibility and seat allocation. She said the district is currently funded for 200 Head Start seats under its grant, and that the program was at 197 students when the report was prepared, with 16 students on the wait list.
Holland outlined eligibility rules used for enrollment priority: a child must be age 4 by Sept. 1 to be eligible for Head Start; three‑year‑olds may be served only if they have a Tyler ISD‑documented disability and an IEP. The director explained that while the district fills seats from a wait list within 30 days of a vacancy, increasing the district’s Head Start capacity would require applying for additional grants available in Smith County (for example, a county‑administered grant referred to as GetCap).
Trustees asked whether the Head Start funds flow through county structures and who determines the seat allocation. Holland said funds come from the National Office of Head Start (the Dallas regional office makes allocation decisions) and that district applications are annual with a five‑year reapplication/recomposition cycle; Tyler ISD will apply annually and is in a five‑year reapplication window in coming months.
No vote was taken; the briefing was presented as governance training and informational update.
