Children raise money for troubled school district

Premont ISD in South Texas, one of the poorest districts in the state, is still struggling to stay open, but it received a $65,000 gift this week. Much of it was raised by lowincome children in 22 neighboring school districts who, unlike the budgetslashing political majority in Austin, realize that public schools do cost money.

Premont is the same district that even suspended its sports programs for a year to cut costs and try to avoid being shut down by the state. Were that to occur, its students would have to be bused to schools in other communities. The Texas Education Agency gave the district a oneyear reprieve last December to give it time to make about $700,000 in state required improvements.

It is still unknown if Premont will survive, but school kids from other lowincome South Texas school districts have done their part with an inventive assortment of fundraising endeavors. They turned their contributions over to the Premont superintendent and some of his students in an emotional ceremony yesterday. It is reported in the Corpus Christi Caller story linked here:

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/may/03/studentsfromneighboringschooldistrictsraise/