H-E-B President Scott McClelland was the event's keynote speaker.[/caption]
School district officials and community leaders from around the Greater Houston area gathered at the Berry Center Monday to highlight the importance of community partnerships in supporting public education.
Speakers covered a variety of topics, including how public schools can partner with chambers of commerce, faith-based organizations and local business. Officials with Cy-Fair, Klein and Fort Bend ISDs also testified to the positive effect these partnerships have on students.
"To people who are considering mentoring a student on a campus—even if it's for an hour once a week or once a month—it makes a difference to students to know that other people are invested in them," said Onica Mayers, principal of CFISD's Kirk Elementary School. "To the business partners who cannot do financial contributions, it’s the physical presence of being there that matters in the lives of children and teachers."
Students and teachers at Kirk have benefited immensely from a partnership with the local branch of manufacturing company EagleBurgmann, which adopted the campus in 2014, Mayers said. She said she rarely goes a day without seeing a EagleBurgmann staff member at the campus.
Changing student lives
In May, EagleBurgmann made a $250,000 donation to help implement a blended learning program at the school to ensure all students' needs are being met. Mayers said the donation has created an amazing opportunity at Kirk, which is composed of 76 percent economically disadvantaged students.
"The funding we received has given us the opportunity to embark on a new journey in terms of structuring how we're teaching students today to meet individual needs," she said. "It’s like a perfect marriage. It has truly made an impact."
Mayers said the program has been rolled out to eight classrooms so far, but plans call for implementing it campus-wide over the next four years.
Aaron Johnson, president of the Houston branch of EagleBurgmann, said the partnership provides motivation for his employees as well.
"People in the global environment talk about their carbon footprint and how much waste they’re generating," he said. "We at EagleBurgmann talk about the handprint—how we can make a difference."
Public education: "The great equalizer"
H-E-B President Scott McClelland, who served as the event's keynote speaker, spoke about the importance of ensuring all Texans have access to a quality public education. He described public education as "the great equalizer" in a society where it is becoming increasingly difficult to traverse the socio-economic ladder. He also called on state legislators to spend more time at public schools in their districts to make sure their needs are met in the upcoming legislative session.
"Kids can’t choose the ZIP code they are born into, and they can’t choose their own parents," he said. "I think we owe every Texan the opportunity to pursue the American dream, and we can do that through public education."
H-E-B has been a major business partner for CFISD, sponsoring district events, making donations to various causes, participating in the Bus Buddies program and hosting book drives among other methods of outreach.
McClelland, who attended public school, spoke personally about how public schools help students grow into more empathetic adults by allowing them to interact with people from all walks of life.
"In my job I have to be able to relate to all people," he said. "The ability to empathize and understand what is going on across the spectrum is important. I think that’s the benefit of going to an ISD. ISDs represent what our society looks like."
H-E-B President Scott McClelland was the event's keynote speaker.[/caption]
School district officials and community leaders from around the Greater Houston area gathered at the Berry Center Monday to highlight the importance of community partnerships in supporting public education.
Speakers covered a variety of topics, including how public schools can partner with chambers of commerce, faith-based organizations and local business. Officials with Cy-Fair, Klein and Fort Bend ISDs also testified to the positive effect these partnerships have on students.
"To people who are considering mentoring a student on a campus—even if it's for an hour once a week or once a month—it makes a difference to students to know that other people are invested in them," said Onica Mayers, principal of CFISD's Kirk Elementary School. "To the business partners who cannot do financial contributions, it’s the physical presence of being there that matters in the lives of children and teachers."
Students and teachers at Kirk have benefited immensely from a partnership with the local branch of manufacturing company EagleBurgmann, which adopted the campus in 2014, Mayers said. She said she rarely goes a day without seeing a EagleBurgmann staff member at the campus.
