Young alumni were welcomed to the Alamo Convocation Center in early January for the SAISD Foundation's annual scholarship breakfast. The event, built in partnership between the SAISD Foundation and the SAISD Department of Postsecondary Initiatives, gave students receiving Foundation scholarships a chance to network with their peers and mentors and enjoy a quick bite to eat before they picked up their scholarship checks to support spring college tuition and fees. As part of the event, students heard from fellow SAISD young alumni who shared advice on internships, finding clubs and activities and preparing for life after college. The alumni panel included two college seniors about to graduate, one student working on his Ph.D., and one young alumni who has started her career.

After the event, we received an email from a student attendee. Here is what Chandler had to say, “I am a Jefferson High School graduate from the Class of 2024. I am honored to have been awarded the 2024 SAISD Foundation Scholarship. I wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you and your team for hosting the Scholarship Breakfast this morning. My classmates and I truly appreciate the time and effort you dedicated to making this event such a success. It was an inspiring and uplifting experience, and we are deeply grateful for your role in making it possible. I am excited to continue my education at Texas Tech and am eager to represent the SAISD Foundation/SAISD in any way I can. Thank you once again for the opportunity to be a part of the SAISD Foundation as a scholarship recipient.”

Executive Director Judy Geelhoed commented on how powerful it was to hear our young alumni advise each other about what they have experienced so far, “It was impressive to hear how much wisdom the panel had to share!” In her closing remarks, Judy shared, “You said yes – you took it all in (opportunities) and have grown so much. We couldn’t be more proud!” 

Annually, the Foundation awards over 200 scholarships to college-bound SAISD seniors. $136,000 in scholarships were awarded to this group of alumni for spring 2025. Interested in helping us fund more scholarships? Donate to the SAISD Foundation and put “scholarships” in the comments.

The district’s newest National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) were recognized on January 25 at a formal pinning ceremony during the Texas National Board Coalition for Teaching conference at Education Service Center-Region 20. The four teachers: Dayton King, CAST Tech; Sharon Garza, Jefferson; Danielle Elizondo, Schenck Elementary; and Frances Santos, Travis Early College — are now part of an esteemed group of 11 educators within SAISD who hold this prestigious certification, the highest distinction a teacher can achieve.

Photo courtesy of Fox San Antonio

Achieving National Board Certification is a significant accomplishment that demonstrates a teacher's commitment to excellence and continuous professional growth. The certification process is rigorous and requires candidates to engage in deep self-reflection across four key areas of their teaching practice: content knowledge, differentiated instruction, teaching practice and learning environment, and their role as effective and reflective practitioners.

As part of the process, teachers must create comprehensive portfolios that include classroom videos and written analyses, demonstrating their instructional decisions and impact on student learning.

Recognizing the value of this certification and its impact on student success, the SAISD Foundation approached the Charles Butt Foundation for grant funding to support a full-time district coordinator and additional support for educators working to earn this distinguished certification. With their dedication to excellence in public school and their belief in teachers, they invested in the program. SAISD now has 44 educators in some phase of the NBCT process. Read more about the program at https://www.saisd.net/page/article/2255

Did you know that we have graduated over 200,000 alumni from our San Antonio ISD schools? Are you one of them? And, are you on LinkedIn? We are encouraging all SAISD alumni to celebrate where they started by adding their high school under “Education” to their LinkedIn profile. Your journey began in SAISD, and by highlighting your high school, you help share the story of your unique career path while inspiring current students to dream about theirs. 

Once you’ve updated your profile, we’d love to see you share it in a post! Not sure what to say? Click here to find a sample post & step-by-step instructions for adding your high school to your profile.

Through our own LinkedIn page, we will be featuring SAISD alumni in the “Where We Started Matters” series. Would you like to be included? All you need to do is complete this short update form, submit your photo and we’ll handle the rest!

With the 2025 Legislative Session in full force, it is a good time to remind ourselves of how Texas funds public education. With a better understanding of the Texas school finance system as individuals we can make and share more informed opinions. Increased understanding of the stagnant funding received by public schools also sheds light on why the investments our individual, corporate and foundation donors make in the SAISD Foundation are more critical than ever. 

The Texas public education system is the second largest in the country, and funding our public education system is a complex subject. With property taxes in Bexar County rising, it can be difficult to understand why local school districts like San Antonio ISD do not have more money to spend on SAISD students, staff and schools. This short video by Raise Your Hand Texas explains the State set per student allotment that schools receive and how it is that although property taxes increase, the payments to school districts remain stagnant. The slides linked here, produced by SAISD, detail the increases in hard costs over the past few years that school districts have to pay while the per student basic allotment has remained constant. This dichotomy means San Antonio ISD has to pay more for the basics (salaries, property insurance and transportation fuel costs) and less funding to support things like instruments or student field trips. These are the kinds of gaps we at the SAISD Foundation work to fill. Thank you for taking a few minutes to learn about the funding of public education in Texas which serves 5.5 million students across Texas each year.

Increasing the postsecondary success of SAISD students is one of our key priorities. We are well aware of what our work in this area means to our students and young alumni, of whom a majority are first-generation college students, but it can be difficult to quantify what this work and their success mean to our community. In 2023, we contracted with Dr. Steven R. Nivin Economic Research and Consulting to conduct a Social ROI study to answer that question in financial terms. The graphic summary of this study is above and the full report can be found here.

The numbers speak volumes to the value we place in the programs that have been critical levers of change in increasing SAISD student enrollment in college, as well as persistence to year two in college and ultimately to degree completion. This includes many of the programs you read about in our newsletter including Postsecondary Navigators, Scholarships and Emergency Gap Funding, Dual-Credit, College Bound Advisors, and College and Enrollment Tours. As we work to reach our collective Bexar County Future Ready goal of 70% of students enrolling in a postsecondary program following high school graduation, this report reminds us that the goal has positive financial impacts on our students themselves, their families, and our community as a whole.

Thanks to your support in 2024, more students will thrive in 2025! Take a look at some of our favorite moments from the last year. We can’t wait to see what comes in our 27th year of operation in 2025.

Start 2025 by Making a Monthly Impact!

Texas public schools face funding challenges due to an outdated system that relies on local property taxes and per pupil funding which has not changed since 2019 creating inequities that limit resources and opportunities for students. The SAISD Foundation serves as a vital link between our schools and the community, encouraging local businesses, alumni, and families to invest in the success of public education. When a community comes together to support its schools, the results are transformative. Students gain access to enriched learning opportunities, teachers feel valued and empowered to innovate, and schools become vibrant hubs of learning and growth. Over time, this support leads to stronger academic outcomes, higher graduation rates, and well-prepared students who contribute to their communities. 

Join us in supporting our students all year long by setting up a recurring gift. Your monthly donation helps provide consistent funding for vital programs and opportunities that empower students to succeed. Whether it's $10 or $100, every gift makes a difference! 

Let's build a bright future together—set up your recurring gift today! https://saisdfoundation.com/donate/ 

At the SAISD Foundation, we are proud to celebrate the dedicated leaders who serve on the San Antonio ISD Board of Trustees. These individuals volunteer their time, expertise, and passion to make decisions that shape the future of our schools and students. Our school board members play a vital role in ensuring every child in SAISD has access to high-quality education, resources, and opportunities. They are champions for equity, advocates for innovation, and partners in our mission to transform lives through education.

Join us in saying thank you to our SAISD Board of Trustees for their commitment to the students, families, and staff of SAISD. Your leadership helps us build a bright future together!

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