Twenty years ago, Argyle was barely a blip on the Denton County map, and its school district didn’t come close to matching the size and scope of nearby districts such as Lewisville and Denton. But teachers, administrators, residents, and students knew it was only a matter of time before their district and hometown were collectively setting a new standard for growth and excellence in education.
So as the story goes, several community members immediately formed the Argyle ISD Education Foundation. Outsiders might have seen the move as overkill for such a small community. But it played right into the community’s forward-thinking mindset.
Fast forward to today, and that foundation has contributed $2.2 million to support and offset expenses for a school district that now includes six campuses. Many school districts across the state are supported in various ways by their own education foundations. Argyle has relied on its foundation heavily to solicit, manage, and distribute funds used to enhance each student’s educational experience at Argyle ISD not already funded by the district.
More than just covering small and occasional classroom items, the Argyle ISD Education Foundation provides support for innovations in the district’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program, scholarships, campus grants, teacher appreciation, various other classroom programs and projects, and facilitating teacher of the year honors.
They generate those financial resources through grants, generous community donations, and fundraisers. The fundraisers include everything from wildly-popular chili cook-offs each November to their signature event — the annual gala.
“The district and the community have come a long way, so we naturally do a lot as a foundation,” said Cara Armstrong, director of the Argyle ISD Education Foundation. “We exist to provide support in whatever way we can — STEM has been a huge focus for many years, and we are thrilled we can be a part of something that touches every student in the district.”
She added, “We have a very supportive community and an amazing board. I am simply there to help guide them along the way.”
Armstrong is the foundation’s first full-time employee, which is another example of how far this district and community have come and the increased involvement from the foundation. The idea initially started in 2002 when Adele Foster and Rudy Menn saw the need to supply teachers with additional funds for classroom items and projects. A year later, the foundation officially became an independent 501(c)(3) whose sole purpose was to tend to the needs of the students and staff of Argyle ISD.
The foundation has several goals. As previously mentioned, one is to provide funds to support STEM teacher salaries beyond state requirements and for educational programs for which tax dollars may not be available. Another is to work closely with the administration to meet the district’s growing needs. They also provide an avenue for the involvement of individuals, communities, businesses, and other foundations in the educational needs of Argyle lSD. Lastly, they strive to create and manage an endowment while upholding fiscal responsibility.
“This community has always been committed to the school district’s success. Some of those founding members who started this 20 years ago are also still very involved,” Armstrong added. “Rudy Menn, for example, presents the Rudy Menn Community Service Scholarship Award of $1,000 every year at the senior awards ceremony. That’s his favorite thing to do every year.”
To learn more about the Argyle ISD Education Foundation, visit supportargyleisd.org.
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