Texas residents banded together to raise money for the Victoria West High School band after the school district announced that the football team would not be able to participate in the first playoff game due to “logistical and budget constraints.”
Victoria Independent School District (VISD) said in a statement Monday that the district does not have enough buses to transport the team while also providing after-school transportation for the remaining students, among other challenges.
Ashley Alvarez, executive director of communications and communications for VISD, said the incident reflects a larger issue facing Texas public schools.
As a result of government funding shortfalls and the Texas Legislature withholding billions of dollars earmarked for public education, “school districts like ours are being forced to make difficult choices that directly impact the experiences and opportunities of our students.” ” Alvarez said.
“Earlier this year, the school board approved a deficit budget that required significant cuts across multiple departments, including fine arts, athletics, and maintenance,” Alvarez continued. “Unfortunately, this means that certain opportunities are not always possible, such as providing transport to all activities.”
On social media, parents, students and city residents voiced their disappointment at the announcement. They emphasized that the playoff games are only an hour and a half away and emphasized the importance of the band to the football team.
“At this point we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands,” Victoria resident Sean Brett said in a post.
It didn’t take long for the community to take action and the group’s participation in Friday’s playoff game became a reality.
Many businesses, including Double Dave’s, Freddy’s, Complete 360, and Las Conchas, are helping raise money for the Victoria West Booster Club by spreading awareness about the organization’s Venmo on social media and making individual donations. We cooperated.
Double Dave’s Pizza Works in Victoria hosted a fundraiser on Monday that raised more than $2,700 for the school and caused the store to sell out of pizza, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“We did this in prayer with little notice, and Victoria showed up!” the company said in a post.
On Tuesday, VISD announced in a statement that the Victoria West High School (VHWS) band will perform at the game after the district received “anonymous donations” and “generous donations from community members and businesses.” .
“We feel very fortunate to have such strong support from our community and are grateful to our booster clubs and local businesses for always going above and beyond to support our campus organizations,” Alvarez said in a statement. “There is,” he said. “Their dedication makes this opportunity possible for our students, and we are deeply grateful for their dedication.”
Victoria West High School football player Braden Merritt said it was an incredible feeling to have members of the band attending the game, which play an important role in making the game great.
“It wouldn’t have been the same without them,” Merritt said. “It’s amazing how the community came together to make it possible.”
