Group of educators standing in a cafeteria holding a large check

The Aransas Pass ISD Education Foundation joined APISD staff at the 2024-2025 Convocation ceremony to present eight Innovative Teaching Grants totaling over $32,000. This is the largest total Innovative Teaching Grant annual award amount since the Foundation’s establishment in 2022.

APISD Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Heather Waugh-Hurta, who was awarded her grant for $2,699, expressed her excitement. “I am thrilled to receive this grant, which will transform our Literacy Lab at Faulk [Elementary] into a vibrant and inviting reading haven for our students. With cozy seating, a plush carpet, and engaging materials like books and puppets, this space will inspire a love for reading and create an environment where imagination and learning can thrive”.

Each year, APISD staff members have the opportunity to submit applications to the Education Foundation for Innovative Teaching Grants. Applications are reviewed by the Foundation anonymously and the grants awarded are those that are designed to encourage, facilitate, recognize, and reward innovative and creative instructional approaches to accomplish program objectives, goals, and initiatives of the Campus Action Plan. Grants are offered for programs which are not already funded as part of the district or campus budget.

Since its founding in 2022, the APISD Education Foundation has awarded $70,877 in Innovative Teaching Grants, and $148,918 in passthrough grants, totaling $219,795.

For more information about the Aransas Pass ISD Education Foundation, visit their website at www.apisdeducationfoundation.org.