By Mathew Shaw/se news editor
A memorandum of understanding between TCC and the Arlington Independent School District was signed April 21 on SE Campus, spelling out operational procedures for SE’s early college high school set to open next fall.
“We have an MOU now that is going to be a model for every early college high school in the state,” SE president Bill Coppola said. “It is the most comprehensive MOU I have seen in partnership with [independent school districts] relevant to early college high schools.”
The high school, which according to future principal Bill Bholan has close to 400 student applicants, is aimed for either low-income students or those who otherwise would not consider college to be an option for them.
“TCC does an absolutely outstanding job for the students who need us least,” Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley said to the audience. “This early college high school is going to focus on the students who need you and us the most.”
To aid students in the school, the Texas Trust Credit Union will grant each student in the graduating class of 2018 a $1,000 scholarship. The trust will also form a $35,000 commitment to the school.
“We really do believe, as a community institution, we should really give back,” said Jim Minge, Texas Trust president and CEO. “Our mission is to hold brighter financial futures, and it’s really hard to have a brighter financial future unless you have an education.”
AISD superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said it was a tangible example of transforming lives.
“At the end of the day, it’s about serving students,” he said.
