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NewsNoticias Tampa Bay (Univision)August 3, 2026Hillsborough

Governor Abbott awards $2.56 million in R-PEP grants to rural Texas school districts

Governor Greg Abbott announced 17 grants totaling $2.56 million to support partnerships between rural Texas school districts through the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program. These funds are designed to help rural schools share resources and create career and college training programs aligned with local labor market needs.

educationrural developmentworkforce developmentgrantsTexas
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Why It Matters

This funding provides rural school districts with the resources to offer specialized technical and college-prep training that would otherwise be difficult to sustain individually, impacting student access to high-demand career paths.

Key Facts

  • The state is awarding $2,560,000 in total grant funding.
  • A total of 17 individual grants were issued under the R-PEP program.
  • Planning grants of $200,000 are available for new school partnerships.
  • Expansion grants of $80,000 are available for existing initiatives to add districts or programs.
  • The program is administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
  • The R-PEP program was established by House Bill 2209 during the 88th Legislative Session.
  • The initiative is modeled after the Rural Schools Innovation Zone pilot project.
  • The program aims to provide technical and college-prep training for the 2026 school cycle.

Who's Mentioned

other88“Legislative session number”organizationTexas Education Agency“Administrator of the R-PEP program”personGreg Abbott“Governor of Texas who announced the grants”personMike Morath“Texas Commissioner of Education”