KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen Independent School District announced on Facebook that it was awarded a $1 million grant, which it plans to use to expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs at 26 elementary schools.
The schools met the qualifications the Department of Defense Education Activity set for the grant, with at least 15 percent of their students connected to the military, the ISD said.
The ISD said it plans to create a mobile learning lab for about 9,000 students to use.
The lab will emphasize STEM and reach more students, since it will move between the 26 schools, the district said.
The ISD said it will focus on letting third through fifth graders to use the lab, so kids can be introduced to STEM topics early on in their education.
"It's pretty evident that [STEM] is where the jobs are in the future, and so with that many opportunities looming for our students and their future, we just feel like we need to cater to their needs," Killeen ISD superintendent Dr. John Craft said.
The ISD said it hopes to finish the mobile lab by the start of next school year.