Some context
The KEF was created by the KISD board of trustees in 2000 and is governed by a board of directors made up of local businesses, corporate and community leaders.
According to the nonprofit's website, its mission is to generate and distribute resources to KISD to enrich, maintain and expand programs needed to meet the district's stated mission of excellence in education. The foundation accepts grant applications biannually.
The breakdown
Nine campuses were among the KEF's 2024 fall grant recipients:
- Benignus Elementary School received a $2,864 grant for "Project Sunshine," a monthly service initiative that pairs ACCESS students with their general education peers to collaborate on meaningful service projects that benefit the entire school. The program is led by grant writer Leslie Hardee and sponsored by Texas Exterior Systems.
- Brill Elementary School received a $3,348 grant for "Bronco BROS," a student-led program that will allow fourth and fifth grade students to plan, produce and record their own podcast. The program is sponsored by Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott.
- Doerre Intermediate School received a $7,100 grant for "Classrooms Without Borders," which will introduce virtual reality to English as a second language, or ESL, classrooms. The program is led by grant writers Carrie Theiss and Melissa Reisdorf, and sponsored by Superintendent Jenny McGown and her husband, Brian.
- Ehrhardt Elementary School received a $20,000 grant for the "Play in the Shade" program, which will provide shade structures over the elementary playground. Sponsored by Campus Kids LLC, the project is a collaboration with the campus's parent-teacher organization, which has committed to matching up to an additional $10,000 in funds.
- Kaiser Elementary School received a $7,500 grant for "Tiny Tech Explorers," a program that aims to integrate technology into kindergarten classrooms. The program is sponsored by Pogue Construction and led by grant writers and teachers Sara Pedraza, Joyce Perez, Alicia Alvarado, Maritza Gonzalez and Alejandra Cruz.
- Kleb Intermediate School received a $6,500 grant for the "Music Mentoring" program, which incorporates guitar lessons into the campus's existing after-hours mentoring initiative through a partnership with St. Timothy's Church, which provided free lessons. The program is led by grant writer Casey Benoit and sponsored by PBK.
- Klein Forest High School received a $7,220 grant for the "Young Writers Con" program, which will fund a writing conference that allows students in grades 7-12 to participate in workshops, competitions and activities focused on creative writing. The program is sponsored by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction.
- Mahaffey Elementary School received a $4,025 grant for "MAP: Masters at Play," an initiative that aims to equip kindergarten classrooms with the tools necessary for purposeful play. The program is led by grant writer Addison Proctor and sponsored by Salas O'Brien.
- Mittelstadt Elementary School received a $2,800 grant for "Let's Communicate," which aims to bridge communication gaps for bilingual families by providing bilingual labels, prompts and phrases throughout the school and allowing for materials sent home to be in Spanish and English. The program is sponsored by True North Consulting.
- "My heart is so full of gratitude today for the Klein ISD Education Foundation directors, our sponsors who make these grants possible, and for the educators across Klein ISD who go above and beyond to provide an exceptional learning experience for our students," KEF Director Christy Spisak said in a statement.
- "Seeing the joy these grants bring to our teachers and principals is truly inspiring. They open doors for our students to grow, connect and pursue their purpose," KISD Superintendent Jenny McGown said in a statement. "I'm so thankful to the Klein Education Foundation and our generous business partners and grant sponsors for helping make these opportunities a reality for our students and educators."
