Washington, DC - Today the Department of Education announced nearly $338 million in School Improvement Grants available for the State of Texas to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools.  The School Improvement Grant (SIG) program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Congresswoman Johnson is the only North Texas Member of Congress to have voted for ARRA.

“These funds will be aimed at our schools that are in need of major transformation in order to become academically successful,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Many of these are schools that are graduating 40 percent or less of their students.  Each day thousands of students are dropping out of high school, resulting in millions of individuals who fail to achieve basic education.   We are not only failing these students, but this nation and our ability to compete globally.”

Under the SIG program, the State of Texas can distribute funds to schools identified as persistently lowest achieving, many of which are considered drop out factories.  These schools will be asked to implement drastic changes to restructure the school, and utilize one of four turnaround models identified by the Department of Education.  
   
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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.