A $60 million gift from a local foundation will go toward helping more Dallas County students graduate and go on to earn a living wage.
The Dallas-based O’Donnell Foundation on Thursday announced a multi-year investment in Dallas College and the education nonprofit Commit Partnership that will support programs that get students into college or trade programs, and help students find the right career for them.
The ultimate goal, said Miguel Solis, president of the Commit Partnership, is for more students to earn a living wage.
“Living wage attainment is a critical statistic that typically traditional school systems just haven't been wired to be thinking about,” he said. A recent analysis of Census and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the partnership found a third of young adults in Dallas County earn a living wage, which in 2022 was $58,000 annually.
Solis said the Commit Partnership’s goal is for at least half of that group to be earning a living wage by 2040.
Half of the $60 million gift will go to Dallas College for its foundation and Promise Program, which helps Dallas College students overcome financial and other barriers to graduation by providing tuition grants. It’ll also support returning adult students.
The other $30 million will go to Commit to bolster stronger middle and high school advising about college and career options. It’ll also fund student data tracking to help align education systems with jobs that businesses need filled.
“The more that you can expand student support in a data driven, research-backed way that really helps walk kids through this process as early as you can,” Solis said, “you are more likely to get them college- and career-ready.”
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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