Fighting for their school

It is only February, but the Marathon ISD in far West Texas already knows who the senior valedictorian will be this spring. That’s because 17yearold Michelle Campbell is the only senior in a district that includes only 56 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade.

Click on the link below for an interesting story by Morgan Smith in The Texas Tribune about the financial struggles of one of the state’s tiniest school districts and the vital importance that district represents to its local, Big Bend area community.

Fearing not only the survival of their local school but also of their town, area residents and property owners have contributed money – over and above their tax dollars – to a private foundation to help keep Marathon ISD in business. Marathon’s financial troubles predated the state’s current budgetary crisis, but the Legislature’s handling (or mishandling) of the state revenue shortfall may put an untold number of other small, rural districts on the ropes. And, many of those communities may not be able to cough up any extra cash.

It may be easy, theoretically, to talk about consolidating small school districts, but small town Texas views the issue from a distinctly different perspective.

-From The Texas Tribune

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