CITY GIVES BISD $250,00 FOR CONNECTIVITY, WILL INK PACT

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

A week ago, Brownsville Independent School District Superintendent Rene Gutierrez and Dr. Nellie Cantu came before the City of Brownsville Commission (via Zoom) with a tale of penury and gloom

Unless they had a "partnership" with the City of Brownsville (an
perhaps Cameron County), they would not be abale to take advantage of a Texas Education Agency program to match their monetary contributions to implement internet connectivity to all its students.

The TEA allowed the city or county to partner up with the BISD and would match their contributions "dollar for dollar" toward the purchase of tablets, notebooks, or IPads as the district's "distance learning" was put in place to fend off COVID-19 infection in face-to-face instruction.

But the county claimed penury as well since it was treated like a red-haired stepchild by the state and given only $1 million in CARES Act monies compared to the city's $10.2 million share.

In yesterday's city commission meeting, Mayor Trey Mendez said that the city had proposed committing

the first $250,000 from its CARES Act share contingent upon the establishment of a permanent joint partnership that would deal not only with the current virus threat, but into the future as both faced issues that overlapped into the other's purview. Toward that end, the commission approved an initial  Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with more specific agreements to follow.

The proposal for the initial $250,00 outlay was approved (6-1) with commissioner Ben Neece – who had questions about the city and BISD's broadband/WIFI plans –  and both administrations committed to hold quarterly meetings to coordinate their individual plans on items such as the Cummings Elementary Workforce Center and the Gladys Porter Zoo, a Performing Arts Center, etc.,

BISD's Dr. Timothy Cuff, who isn't above unearthing a cliche or two, said the establishment of a Memorandum Of Understanding was a "win-win" situation and thanked the city for the quarter million while at the same time saying that then other specifics )the Cummings School property, Performacne Arts Center, etc.,) will have to be approved by the BISD board.

Future meeting between the two entities will beheld after the November 3 BISD elections where the board makeup will change.