Harlandale ISD awarded $1.6 million TEA ACE grant to expand after‑school and summer programs

Harlandale ISD announced that the Texas Education Agency has awarded the district a $1,600,000 Texas ACE grant to expand free after‑school and summer learning opportunities across nine elementary campuses, district staff said.

The grant will support academic intervention, STEM, arts, health and wellness, college‑and‑career readiness activities and additional family engagement, an announcements presenter said. The district described the award as competitive and cited the student support services and federal programs team for the effort.

The district also recognized a record 92 students from Harlandale High School, McCollum High School and STEM Early College High School for College Board National Recognition for maintaining a 3.5 GPA while demonstrating strong PSAT, NMSQT or AP performance. District staff encouraged families to attend a Back‑to‑School Bash July 30 at the Morrill Center, a summer commencement on Aug. 4 and a ribbon cutting for the new Edmundo M. Zaragoza Multipurpose Center on Aug. 7.

The announcement came during routine board communications; no formal vote was required. The district said the grant will be used to expand academic and enrichment programming and to provide family engagement opportunities at nine elementary campuses. Further details on the grant’s implementation and timelines were not specified during the announcement.

District staff invited the public to the Back‑to‑School Bash where families can access free backpacks, school supplies and immunizations; the district asked families to register for immunizations to reduce wait times.

The board did not take further action at the meeting on grant implementation; staff indicated more details will follow as planning progresses.