By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Since its inception in 1996, Texas City ISD Foundation for the Future has been able to provide close to $4 million in funding for innovative learning for students and teacher excellence awards. While some of the original founders have passed away, their foundation lives on serving to enhance the learning of students in TSISD.
Derrest Williams and his TCISD classmate Bill Beatty led the charge. The two graduates worked together with TCISD trustees Mike Simpson and Dr. Jay Welch in developing an education foundation for the district.
Initially, Beatty and Williams had provided the school board with funds which they insisted only be used for helping students graduate. Their donations went to cover the cost of summer school classes for high school students.
Of course, just handing out money to the school board and telling them what to do wasn’t the way to keep providing for the future. The gentleman did some researching and learned an entity separate from the school district was essential if they wished to enrich the learning of future students.
The process of finding people to serve as board members for a nonprofit entity to support education began. Industry leaders were tapped, so were individual community members and educators.
This is the point when Jose Boix stepped into the history of TCISD’s education foundation. He was close to retirement from his career as a chemical and environmental engineer and he knew he would have some time on his hands.
“My daughters attended TCISD schools and I was a very involved parent in the district. So, when they needed to put a group of people together for the foundation, they asked me along with about a dozen other people to serve,” he said.
“I felt it was a great way of enhancing the finances of educating our children. It looked like a really good way of adding to the quality of the students’ learning,” Boix explained.
The foundation was formed in 1996 and there was another moment of discovery with the founding members: they needed an executive director. “They voted I should be the executive director,” said Boix. “For me it was a new idea that most of us didn’t know much about, so I decided to look around.”
On his path to discovery, he found that the Galena Park school district had a foundation which led him to a consultant: Pete Karabatsos. With the group of faithful individuals on the initial board for the foundation and the school board’s commitment, they worked on the model recommended by Karabatsos, which remains in use to this day.
Task one was to build a foundation of founding partners who would provide funds to the newly formed 501 (c ) 3 nonprofit. This was done through a founding founders’ drive which attracted many private donors eager to be part of supporting enhanced learning opportunities for TCISD.
The funds had to be distributed to the students and teachers. That was accomplished by asking teachers to apply for grants for their creative and innovative classroom needs. Back in the late 90’s some of the requests they got were for things like weathervanes, smart boards and microscopes.
Most recently, the foundation has had requests for items such as digital balance scales. Another grant that was approved was to give LaMarque High School’s dance classroom a facelift with paint and add ballet bars and trophy shelves to the walls. Podcast projects have also been funded.
Genny White, the current executive director of TCISD Foundation for the Future, explained what types of projects are funded by the foundation. “Anything that is new and creative that you wish you could have but district funding doesn’t cover. We even provide funds for extracurricular clubs that are part of TCISD,” she said.
White has been in education as a teacher and administrator for 18 years. When she was given the opportunity to serve in her new role, she was happy to take it. “It’s great because all the money we raise goes right back to the students,” said White, who has held the position for one year.
The foundation also provides funds through other programs such as LEADS, which was initiated by Charles Doyle for developing leadership. Another program funded is excellence in teaching, which is a cash award given to three teachers every year. Even school nurses are awarded funds for items not covered in the district budget.
How to keep funding the foundation is the challenge that each new board and executive director faces. This is solved with a variety of fundraising events throughout the year. White and her team put together an inaugural designer bag bingo fundraiser in early December 2021.
It proved to be a hit with over 400 people attending and raised $40,000. “We will be holding another one in 2022,” White said. It was such a success that White has other foundations calling her for tips on how to host their own designer bag bingo.
Boix has stayed involved as a board member since the beginning and his enthusiasm for foundations is something he continues to share with others. “There are six other Galveston County school districts that have thriving education foundations,” said Boix.
Boix and White team with foundations in the greater Houston area for monthly meetings to share ideas and support the efforts of education foundations.
Recently Boix, along with Deborah Laine, Executive Director of Clear Creek ISD foundation were successful in securing a resolution from Texas State Senator Larry Taylor. “Resolved, that education foundations be commended for their contributions to Texas schools and that all of those involved with these outstanding organizations be extended sincere appreciation.”
