Texas state education is getting a boost this year from the head of the state's most beloved grocery chain. H-E-B CEO Charles Butt has announced plans to donate $100 million to the state for education. With these funds, Butt intends to build a training and leadership center for district leaders in the state of Texas.
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The popular CEO plans to name the center after his mother, Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt. She was a longtime educator who dedicated her life to social justice and philanthropy. The Holdsworth Center will help current and future school leaders develop new skills and become better at the jobs they do.
The staff and faculty of the new training center will help school districts develop a shared vision for the state. They hope to focus on identifying, cultivating and supporting future leaders as they grow through the Texas education system.
Per the center's website, their "mission is to impact over time, the quality of public education available to Texas students by supporting and developing public school leaders." They hope that with this mission, they can improve the education for every student in the state regardless of the school's particular culture and challenges.
Currently, the State of Texas has over 1200 independent school districts and 5.4 million students. Unfortunately, these students have fallen behind in the major education areas, like reading, math and science over the past decade. Butt hopes that his center can help Texas become a leader in the education system and that its students will go on to be successful in these areas.
According to San Antonio Express-News, Butt plans to use funds from his own personal fortune to pay for the center. First classes for this new center start in June, and Butt asked 16 districts to attend. In the future, all districts will have the opportunity to attend the classes.
