Rep. Cuellar to Announce $64,000 for Teach for America in Hidalgo and Starr Counties

The grant will fund 64 TFA corps members for the 2019-2020 school year

MISSION, TX  – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $64,000 in federal funding for Teach for America in Hidalgo and Starr counties through One Star Foundation (AmeriCorps Texas). The One Star Foundation supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency responsible for AmeriCorps and other national service programs. This grant will fund approximately 64 TFA corps members in the Rio Grande Valley, including 13 members in Texas’s 28^th District. Teach For America currently partners with La Joya ISD, Roma ISD, and IDEA Public Schools in the region.

“In our current competitive job market, a quality education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity; it is a requirement,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This grant will fund more teachers in Hidalgo and Starr counties, which will strengthen our school systems and increase student outcomes.  An investment in our children’s education is an investment in our country’s economic prosperity. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to fund education programs, like Teach for America, that help prepare our students for a rapidly changing world.”

“I would like to thank the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Executive Director Teach For America Rio Grande Valley Ana Gonzalez, and all the teachers currently partaking in the Teach For America AmeriCrops program.”

This grant is part of $17.8 million that OneStar Foundation received in federal AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which will be matched by an additional $42.8 million in local resources, to address pressing challenges in Texas communities.  Additionally, Teach For America in Texas will leverage the federal grant to raise over $22 million from the state as well as local private and public funding sources.

Teach For America recruits outstanding and diverse leaders to become TFA “corps members.” Corps members commit to teaching for two years in a low-income community, where they're employed by local schools to expand educational opportunities for kids.