WHAT IS A PUBLIC
EDUCATION FOUNDATION?
A Public Education Foundation is a
third party, non-profit entity whose agenda consists of developing
supportive community, alumnae and private sector relationships with a
public school system. A Public Education Foundation can also serve the
following functions:
-To broaden
the constituency of support for public education
-To better
inform the community about the challenges facing public schools
-To
break down the isolation of the public schools from the general community,
particularly those residents without children in the schools
-To
maintain confidence in the public schools
-To
be a liaison between public schools and their many publics, encouraging
community and business involvement in a positive and supportive manner and
provide the community positive, accurate information about the local
schools year round, not just at budget or referendum time
RELATIONSHIP OF THE
FOUNDATION TO OTHER SUPPORT GROUPS
Public Education Foundations differ
from other public school support groups in several ways. They are not
situation responsive or single purpose, nor do they duplicate the work of
existing organizations (such as the Home and School Association.)
Foundations strive to involve the widest range of community interests.
They are not a temporary or quick fix. They are designed to be a long
lasting third party intermediary group that becomes a significant private
partner in the support of public education.
The
kinds of programs that a foundation can support are too numerous to
include here, but few of the programs that might be undertaken serve as
illustrations of a foundation’s efforts.
Some communities (such as
Mountain Lakes) have used “mini-grants” for teachers as visible ways
to have a positive effect on the school system.
Foundations may sponsor after-school or weekend enrichment programs
for students. They may sponsor learning opportunities for parents and
community members who may not have children in the local school system.
They may host community forums on a variety of issues.
They may contribute to any type of
effort that advances and enhances the education of children and community
residents.
The most successful school foundations
use fund raising simply as a means to an end. What that end is depends on
the characteristics and needs of the school district and the community it
serves. Foundations are not based on a single model. Although they share
some features, each foundation is unique. Foundations derive their
purposes and roles from the groups that create them.
These purposes and roles vary widely,
and once established, they dictate most aspects of the foundation’s
operations. It is against these purposes (as outlined in the Mission
Statement) that the foundation’s success is often judged, so they should
be clearly defined.
The Foundation is intended to be a
long-lasting intermediary organization that becomes a significant private
partner in support of public education. It seeks to involve the broadest
range of community interests and thus become a liaison between the schools
and various citizen groups and private entities.
In this way, the relationships between the community, Board of Education,
schools and staff are enhanced.
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