Commissioners consider COVID-19 school funding

The Hays County Commissioners Court will discuss and potentially approve $500,000 of CARES funding to assist schools with COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in their meeting Tuesday morning. 

After discussions with each school district to determine needs, the funding will be distributed roughly based on student population. 

The county has proposed that Wimberley ISD receive $33,397, Dripping Springs ISD receive $91,794, San Marcos CISD receive $108,452 and Hays ISD, with the largest portion of the county student population receive $266,356. 

Each school district will be asked to submit a written spending plan to ensure all funds follow federal requirements. 

In other business, the commissioners will likely accept a $20,000 grant from the Governor’s Homeland Security Grants Division (HSGD) for the maintenance of the Hays County HazMat Team monitors, which will increase the lifespan of specialized equipment.

The commissioners will also likely accept a $45,534 grant award from the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division (CJD) for the Victim Assistance for the Family Justice Center. The funds will support the salary and benefits for a Victim Assistance Coordinator who will provide services and assistance directly to victims of crime and their families to speed their recovery and aid them through the criminal justice process. 

The Hays County Commissioners Court meeting will be held at 9 a.m. at the Hays County Courthouse at 111 E. San Antonio St, Room 301 in San Marcos. 

Residents can participate in public comment by submitting a public participation/witness form to the County Clerk by 9 a.m. the morning of the Commissioners Court meeting; forms can be found at hayscountytx.com/commissioners-court/. There are also printed forms available at the courthouse to fill out and submit.