Alpine ISD students and staff will see some major upgrades coming to their schools in the coming months thanks to a generous donation from the Prentice Farrar Brown and Alline Ford Brown Foundation. This historic $575,000 investment will be used for capital improvement projects that will impact every Alpine ISD student and staff member.
“This donation is an incredible vote of confidence in the amazing things that our staff make happen every day in Alpine ISD,” Superintendent Michelle Rinehart said in a news release. “We are honored to be entrusted with this donation, which we will use to continue the legacy of excellence and stewardship we are known for in our district.”
The donation comes at a time when Alpine ISD, like many other school districts across Texas, is facing budget deficits due to stagnant state funding, historic inflation, and nuances of the state funding formula that persistently underfund certain rural school districts.
Due to these factors, Alpine ISD only receives 85% of its state-determined funding allotment every year, resulting in Alpine ISD’s funding ranking in the bottom 2 percentile in the state of Texas. These year-over-year funding losses have resulted in millions of dollars of deferred maintenance across the district, a challenge this donation is helping to address.
“This donation funds so many different projects across our district, from updating facilities that were in dire need of repair or replacement to funding opportunities we really wanted to make happen for our kids,” Alpine ISD Board President Eddie Natera said in the release. “From students to staff, everyone in Alpine ISD will be impacted by this investment.”
The donation will fund 17 projects across the district, including providing school supplies for all Alpine ISD students for the 2024-25 school year, funding a grow-your-own teacher certification program to cover expenses for Alpine ISD paraprofessionals to become certified teachers, and teacher and staff member of the month recognition programs. Additionally, $30,000 will be used to launch a teacher project fund within the district, whereby teachers can apply for funding for classroom projects for their students.
Upgrades at Alpine Elementary School and Alpine Middle School include the installation of interactive instructional boards in all elective classrooms, the installation of digital signage throughout the building to share announcements and celebrate student accomplishments, and a retrofit of the marquees out front of each school. Due to the manufacturer going out of business, the Alpine Elementary marquee on 5th Street can no longer be updated. Similar technical issues have impacted the marquee at Alpine Middle School, which no longer functions correctly. Both marquees will be retrofitted with new technology as part of this project.
Upgrades at Alpine High School include updating the kiln and etching press used in the art programs, which date back to the 1970s. Alpine High School will also receive a 3D laser printer that students will use in graphic design and fabrication classes for engraving, signs, plaques, and framing projects.
The Alpine Child Development Center, the community child care center housed within Alpine ISD, will receive a shade cover structure for their daycare playground as part of this investment, as well. ACDC, which opened in August 2023 thanks to significant grant funding, currently serves twenty-two children aged 6 weeks to 3 years old and is housed in the West wing of the Alpine ISD Administration Building on Sul Ross Avenue.
Additionally, $300,000 of the donation will be paired with $280,000 in grant funding to install new playgrounds at Alpine Elementary and at Alpine Middle School. Plans include a new, age-appropriate playground for the prekindergarten programs, as well as near complete overhauls of the playgrounds for Kindergarten through 2nd grades and 3rd through 4th grades.
“Some of the playground equipment at Alpine Elementary dates back to the 1960s and has served our community well for generations,” Rinehart said. “We’re thrilled to be able to update these play spaces for the children of Alpine thanks to the generosity of the Brown Foundation.”
A new, activity-based playground will also be installed on the north side of Alpine Middle School for 5th and 6th grade students there.
Based in Dallas, Texas, the Prentice Farrar Brown and Alline Ford Brown Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee was established in 2020 to support the advancement of education throughout West Texas.
This donation was orchestrated following an introduction made by leaders from Permian Basin Area Foundation, a Midland-based organization focused on partnering with donors to enrich the quality of life in West Texas communities. PBAF has previously partnered with Alpine ISD to help fund numerous projects over the past year, including a renovation of the Alpine Elementary School library, staff appreciation projects, school supplies for all students for the 2023-24 school year, and new laptops for all Alpine ISD teachers.
“We appreciate the energy that the leadership of Alpine ISD has brought to the community to support student success,” Permian Basin Area Foundation Grants Officer Raymond Williams shared. “We commend Dr. Rinehart on her tireless efforts advocating for students of AISD and are honored to connect her with other funders across the state.”
The first part of this investment goes before the Alpine ISD Board of Trustees for approval at their June 27 meeting. Projects are slated to begin in early July in order to have as many upgrades as possible in place before the first day of school on August 13, 2024. Playground projects are still in planning stages, with construction to begin later this fall.
“It’s an exciting time to be an Alpine Fightin’ Buck!” Rinehart said. “We are so appreciative of the investment the Prentice Farrar Brown and Alline Ford Brown Foundation is making in the children of Alpine, in our community, and in our public schools. We are blessed to honor the Brown family’s legacy by using these gifts to continuously foster excellence and well-being for the children of Alpine!”
