ACCSS Alliance explores rural excellence grant designation

The Alliance for College & Career Student Success (ACCSS) program is entering its sixth year as a collaborative of rural school districts serving South-Central Texas. The initiative has been very successful, expanding from five to eight school districts and now serving over 2400 high school students, growing workforce and dual credit opportunities and supporting post-secondary preparedness. ACCSS shares academic and career resources, student advising, and support needed for every student, regardless of background, to earn post-secondary credits or workforce credentials to pursue their individual goals. It is that vision of ACCSS that students from rural communities graduate from high school with a plan – ultimately learning, living, and working in the rural communities where they were raised.

Recently, ACCSS Leadership decided to take their work to the next level by applying for an R-PEP planning grant. R-PEP stands for Rural Pathway Excel lence Partnership Program and is funded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Fayetteville ISD served as the fiscal sponsor, led by Superintendent Dr. Jeff Harvey. TEA selected Fayetteville ISD along with six of the ACCSS partners as the recipient of one of ten $200,000 R-PEP planning grants. These awards support el igible rural school districts and coordinating entities as they plan, launch, and expand high-quality college and career pathways through regional partnerships that increase student access to rigorous, high-wage, high-demand career opportunities.

The ACCSS Leadership team met on Sept. 2 to celebrate being selected and to launch the six-month planning process. The intent is to potentially submit a grant in the spring to be designated as an R-PEP. The R-PEP designation (HB2209, 88th Legislature) aims to increase access to high-qual ity post-secondary pathways for rural students through an al lotment and increased outcomes bonus. Along with TEA supporting new R-PEP collaboratives through this grant that provides district funding and technical assistance for planning and implementation, once designated R-PEP districts earn additional ADA Allotment for each student in a postsecondary pathway & an Outcomes Bonus for each student who earns a postsecondary credential of value up to 5 years after graduation.

ACCSS is a collaborative program involving Blinn College District and eight regional independent school districts including Flatonia, Schulenburg, Weimar, Columbus, Fayetteville, Moulton, Dime Box, and Sealy ISDs. For more information on ACCSS, please contact Susie Shank, ACCSS Director, at (979)743-5239 or susie. [email protected]. To stay current on ACCSS activities, please like and follow the ACCSS Facebook page @ACCSS5 or visit www. myACCSS.net.