Two local school districts were cited among the eight school districts and five early childhood facilities across Texas as finalists for the H-E-B 2017 Excellence in Education Awards program on Friday, Media Coordinator Jill Reynolds said in a news release. The grocery chain also selected five Texas school boards that display strong leadership in their districts.

H-E-B's 2017 school district, early childhood facility and school board finalists are:

  • Large school districts: Allen, Brownville Grand Prairie, Northwest, and Socorro ISDs

  • Small school districts: Alamo Heights, Hutto, and Lake Travis ISDs

  • Early childhood facilities: Vogel Alcove, Dalton Early Childhood Center, Victoria ISD, John H. Cherry, and Pre-K 4 San Antonio Education Center

  • Public school boards: Dripping Springs, Harlingen, Fort Bend, Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISDs


Finalists in the large district category receive $5,000 each from H-E-B, while small district finalists receive $2,500, the release states.  Selected early childhood facilities and school boards also receive $5,000 apiece.

Overall winners will be announced at a May 7 ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, 500 E. 4th St., Austin.

According to the release, the winning large district will receive $100,000 while the winning small district will receive $50,000. An early childhood facility will receive $25,000. One or more school boards will receive up to a total of $25,000.

H-E-B launched the Excellence in Education Awards program in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators in 2002 and has awarded more than $8.5 million to benefit Texas public schools since its inception, the release said.