Karnes County Safe Schools/Healthy Students (KCSS/HS) Federal Grant Program drew to an end on Friday, September 29, 2006 with a countywide reception at the Texas Champion Bank community room in Kenedy. There was a short presentation highlighting the grant’s accomplishments in the preceding four years.

Dr. Richard Irizarry, Kenedy ISD superintendent, spoke to the attendees about the numerous ways the students and community benefited from the services provided by the federal grant program. He stated that families are under siege from economic hardships, drugs and other difficulties impacting the quality of the students’ home life and ability to do well academically. These issues make the opportunity to utilize the services provided by the grant, critical in assisting the students to increase their educational capacity as well as enhance their psychosocial functioning.

Jim Tom Nichols, Grant Program Director, noted that the KCSS/HS Federal Grant was only the second time in his memory that the whole county has worked together as a single entity to benefit the youth and communities in Karnes county. He reflected that the first such program was the county livestock show (Karnes County Youth Show) and that he was proud to have been involved in both of these projects. He praised the four school districts of Falls City, Runge, Karnes City and Kenedy for combining their resources and pointed out that the grant also received total cooperation from the Karnes County Sheriff’s Office, the Kenedy Police Department and the Karnes City Police Department. In addition, the Karnes City Juvenile Probation Office and the Camino Real MHMR office in Floresville were instrumental in providing and coordinating services to the youth and their families in the county.

Nichols stressed that the program’s success was contingent upon the devotion and hard work of the staff in all these agencies. Besides the time and effort provided with funding through the grant, the law enforcement offices have continued to provide an on-campus presence without financial compensation as a show of their dedication to the safety and well being of the students and community across the county, he said. Their selfless attention to these needs was recognized and applauded.

Nichols continued by reviewing the six goals of the grant and reported on statistics which demonstrated the grant exceeding all goals. Through careful administration of the grant funds and expenditures, he said the grant was able to provide services through an additional fourth year utilizing lapsed funds at no cost to the government.

Kyle Barrington, who is credited for writing the grant and for his company’s key role in serving as the grant evaluator, also reflected on the KCSS/HS grant. Barrington started by saying that grants are not awarded on need and that all communities have needs. He said that they are awarded on the proposal that there is a willingness to address the problems and a proposed solution to resolve the concerns. He pointed out that prior to the awarding of the Karnes County grant, grants were written to encompass one town and one school district. With the KCSS/HS Grant, a new concept was begun by including four school districts spanning an entire county. Barrington said that the KCSS/HS Federal Grant then served as a model for future grants across the nation and established a precedence for expanding the plan for countywide implementation. He stated that Karnes County could be proud of its accomplishments not only in exceeding grant expectations, but also for its role as a blueprint for the way Federal School Grants are now being written. He jokingly referred to it as the "Karnes County Way".

Nichols said that it is hoped that the legacy of this federal grant will continue to impact Karnes County citizens and the community in a positive manner. With the schools safer, the incidence of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs reduced, family communications improved, academic performance up and countywide resources linked in strategic ways, the expectations for continued improvement are high, he added.