Get email alerts on the College Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fabens ISD approves MOU discussions with Sol Ross University for GEAR UP college-access program
Summary
The board authorized the district to proceed with a memorandum of understanding to join a GEAR UP cohort run by Sol Ross University. A former GEAR UP student described how the program helped him navigate college admissions and scholarships; trustees approved moving forward 7-0.
The Fabens ISD board on Jan. 21 authorized administration to pursue a memorandum of understanding with Sol Ross University to bring a GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) cohort to the district.
A district presenter outlined the proposed U.S. Department of Education grant partnership and invited Sol Ross representatives to describe program details. A former GEAR UP participant, Javier Leyva, told the board how GEAR UP exposure helped him with college tours, FAFSA, and scholarship navigation and credited the program with helping him secure a Terry Foundation scholarship and pursue mechanical engineering at UTEP.
"GEAR UP helped me a lot because my parents didn't really know too much about college," Javier Leyva said, describing how the program introduced him to majors, scholarships and campus visits.
Board members asked logistical questions about student selection, transportation funding and the number of trips; administrators said remaining details would be clarified during MOU negotiations. Administration moved for authorization to continue MOU discussions and to begin implementing services; the motion passed by voice vote, 7-0.
The vote authorizes staff to continue negotiating an MOU and explore operational details such as transportation and cohort selection; trustees said they favored the program's potential to increase college access for first-generation students.
AI generated
The text on this page is AI generated. Summaries, highlights, analysis, and video transcripts are all produced from the original source material.
AI can make mistakes, so if you spot one, and we will fix it for everyone.
Note: the source content is unaltered by us. Any content source we link to, be it a video, an audio recording, or a document, is presented exactly as its publisher released it. That publisher is usually a government body, sometimes an individual official or another organisation.
