Education
Congressman Gonzalez firmly believes that children are the future and that all children deserve a quality education from nursery school to college and beyond.
He works to ensure that South Texas K-12 schools receive proper funding to equip teachers and prepare young people for the challenges they may face in the classroom and beyond.
Congressman Gonzalez is a strong supporter of Head Start, Title I, GEAR-UP, Pell Grant, and other programs that support early childhood, secondary, and post-secondary education that enable children from all backgrounds to graduate from high school prepared for college and fulfill their academic potential.
Congressman Gonzalez realizes that while invaluable, a top-notch education can come at a high price. He is a staunch supporter of efforts to reduce student loan debt and make college more accessible and affordable.
More on Education
WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) today announced $108,034,097 in preliminary federal funds for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Title I for schools in the Rio Grande Valley in the 15th District of Texas. The U.S. Department of Education will release final totals in June 2020.
Title I Grants to local school districts are intended to ensure that the most financially and socially disadvantaged children have an equal opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach proficiency on state academic assessments.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced a $13,856,191 award in federal funding for the Hidalgo County Head Start Program. Head Start is a federal program that promotes schools readiness for pre-school children from low-income families.
The award is expected to provide comprehensive assistance including: educational, nutritional, health, social, and special services, to upwards of 3,690 children and their families in Hidalgo County.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that a total of 10 submissions were received for the Congressional App Challenge (CAC) from the 15th District of Texas. The CAC is a district-wide competition to encourage middle school and high school students from each Congressional district to learn to code and inspire them to pursue careers in computer science and other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced $1,243,658 in funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs for a five-year program called Project PLEASE (Program for Leaders to Educate and Advocate for Special Education) at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Project PLEASE will train 14 district educators from the Rio Grande Valley to administer special education and early intervention programs.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced $374,580 in federal funds for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) to help small rural businesses across South Texas increase economic development. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development grant program which is designed to help businesses that have fewer than 50 new workers and gross less than $1 million in revenue in rural areas.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that federal funds amounting to $1,493,168 were distributed to schools throughout the 15th District of Texas thanks to the Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act. The STOP School Violence Act funded evidence-based school violence preventing programming, mental health crisis intervention, and suicide prevention through the Bureau of Justice program, and school infrastructure under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced the opening of applications for the 2020 Environmental Education (EE) Grants Program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has $3 million in funding available for locally-focused environmental education projects under the program.
In addition to other environmental topics, the 2020 EE Grants Program will fund education-based projects pertaining to marine debris mitigation, food waste and loss reduction, and recycling.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that Vanguard Academy Charter Schools received a School Climate Transformation Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Vanguard Academy Charter Schools was awarded $739,887 for a period of five years, which will total $3,699,435.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced Seguin Independent School District (ISD) was awarded a School Climate Transformation Grant by the U.S. Department of Education. Seguin ISD was awarded $750,000 for a period of five years, which will total $3,750,000.