It might not sound like much – a digital microscope, an inflatable planetarium, new headphones. However, the improvements funded through the Mineola Education Foundation are having a huge impact on instruction at every level of Mineola schools.  

The foundation is in its fifth full year and is relatively young compared to many district foundations in Texas. The individual improvements may seem like small things, but the cumulative effect is building excitement among teachers and students. According to foundation plank owner, Martha Holmes, “Getting kids excited about learning is what education is all about.”

Officially launched in October 2016, the foundation has flourished. In the first year of operation the foundation contributed $15,000; last year that had ballooned to $34,200. Since inception, Mineola schools has benefitted from $122,000  worth of project grants. 

That is no small number. When considering that grants to individual teachers are limited to $1,000 and grants for group projects are capped at $5,000, one can begin to see that numerous improvements rendered throughout the campus.

As Holmes retired after 34 years of teaching kindergarten at Mineola primary, then-superintendent Kim Tunnell told her, “You may be finished with Mineola ISD, but we are not finished with you.” Tunnell asked Holmes to be the driving force behind establishing the education foundation.

The efforts of Holmes and others in setting up the foundation have created an organization known for its structure and passion. With Holmes’ keen eye on the original set-up, the foundation always keeps the needs of students as the primary objective.

Mineola Superintendent Cody Mize and his teaching staff are now the beneficiaries of those initial efforts. Mize enthusiastically commented, “The foundation embodies a special level of passion for helping our teachers.”    

That enthusiasm just does not simply happen. It comes from a highly structured system put in place by the foundation.

Holmes, who is the chairman of the grant committee, describes the process as a way to bring unique teaching aids and something special into the classroom. 

Key to that process is a plain cardboard box in the school office into which teachers place their applications for a grant. Holmes admitted that it is just a box set up on top of a tall shelf, but a lot of wisdom passes through it.

“We collect the proposals throughout the school year and decide on the awards in the spring,” she explained. There are always more requests than available funds, so hard decisions must be made. “But,” Holmes added, “we encourage resubmissions and submissions of partial project funding as well.”

The distribution of grants is a celebration that is known as the “Prize Swarm.” With as much fanfare as can be generated for the event – which usually includes members of the band and the Yellowjacket cheerleaders – foundation members and school officials walk the halls to personally deliver the grant approval notification to individual teachers.

Receiving the notification in front of their classes adds significantly to the meaning of the event. The awards are given each spring.

Of course, none of this would be possible without benefactors. Initial seed money for the foundation came from the foundation board members and other local giving-organizations – the Meredith Foundation among them. 

In addition to individual contributions, a variety of fund-raising events are run by the group. Among them are a casino night, auctions, bingo and golf tournaments.

Mize commented, “The foundation members run excellent events, events that people are truly interested in.”

School employees have the option to have a small payroll deduction contributed to the foundation. This year, over 80 employees have taken this option. 

Mize clarified that the foundation is separate from the school district. However, he emphasized, “They are completely integrated into the objectives of the district and maintain clear lines of communications between the two organizations.”

The list of projects keeps growing: an outdoor science center, a weather station, robotics classes, innovative student seating, library replenishments, media equipment, dissection kits, outdoor music and reading areas. That is just a sample of the many projects realized with the foundation’s help. 

Holmes explained that normal funding through the school budget process requires use of Education Service Center-vetted vendors.

Hence, having the foundation as a funding source allows added flexibility to each teacher. It brings unique materials into the classroom. She described the process as a type of Christmas list for teachers.

That is not all the foundation does. Foundation president Jason Ray described that the foundation serves as the administrator of the Dr. John M. and Marilyn E. Thomas Scholarship Fund.

“The scholarship agreement relieves the family of the associated administrative burden while giving the education foundation great exposure,” he noted.

Ray expressed hope that other privately-funded scholarship sponsors will consider working with the foundation.  

The future is certainly bright for the foundation. As Ray described, “Our outreach to the community has grown tremendously in five years. We are lucky to live in a community, and with a school district, where people understand the value of the foundation.”

That value is being realized by Mineola students, but also by the teachers, who have a chance to introduce that “something special” into their classrooms.