AUSTIN, Texas — 2020 is the year of the United States Census and Austin ISD wants all of Travis County participating.
Every 10 years, per the constitution, the U.S. must count its entire population – including U.S. territories.
Leonor Vargas, the administrative supervisor for parent programs in Austin ISD, said they hosted a census ambassador training because of the census' wide-reaching impact on education.
The responses to the 2020 census will decide where billions of dollars worth of funding will go for the next decade.
This includes topics that impact schools, like funding for education, healthcare and social services.
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The census will also be used to determine how many representatives each state will have in the House of Representatives.
"We are equipping people with information where they can have a conversation with their neighbor or at schools," said Vargas. "They might have interaction with individuals about why it's important to complete the census and how it might impact their families."
According to Vargas, various pockets of Austin have low participation rates, specifically minority families of color.
"Our hope is that our students will be motivated and their parents will complete the census and have conversations," said Vargas.
Approximately 70 people signed up for the training. A Spanish translator will be available in addition to resources for multiple languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese and Burmese.
The training took place on Monday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center.
The census opens to the public on April 1. The results of the census will reach the president by the end of the year.
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