Board of Education Approves More Than $350K in Grants

The Summit Board of Education approved 33 grants from the Summit Educational Foundation totalling $357,399 at its May 12 workshop meeting.

SEF President Nicole Bloomfield and Vice President of Grants Debra Trisler presented a list of projects intended to benefit students throughout Summit's elementary, middle and high schools.

The biggest awards, according to a list Trisler read to the board, included:

• $100,928 for book purchases and teacher support of the ongoing district literacy initiative for elementary and middle schools
• $95,000 for 1.5 facilitator salaries–$35,000 for an elementary school position; $80,000 for a high school position–through the end of the school year. (The district will pick up salary cost past that time.)
• $31,188 for data collection technology to be integrated into physical and life science classes for grades six through eight
• $26,450 for continuation of Jefferson School's Jefferson Enrichment Extended Program (JEEP), which offers extra education in Language Arts and Math for at-risk students
• $17,000 for physics lab equipment for the high school
• $11,209 to bring equipment used by 11th grade chemistry and advanced placement chemistry up to College Board recommended levels

Additonally, a grant of $13,678 was earmarked to expand the Mandarin Chinese World Language program to incoming sixth grade students. This grant is pending and will go through only if sufficient interest from fifth grade families is demonstrated.

Trisler said many of the grant ideas were proposed by teachers throughout the district. 

"We believe these ideas will make a difference in the quality of education because the teachers who came up with them are excited  about it," she said.

All grant projects will be assessed upon completion to determine whether they were successful.

"Some grants are stopped or unfunded if they are found to be underachieving or unproductive," she said.

Some of the funds granted were raised or donated by outside groups. Trisler reported that $55,869 came from the Summit Junior Fortnightly Club. A $7,500 donation came from Investors Savings Bank to fund elementary school Family Math and Science Nights.

The grants won quick approval from the Board.

President Jack Lyness summed up the members' reaction, saying, "We couldn't be more thankful."