To the Editor,
We are the Co-Chairs of Spaulding Education Fund. We write in response to Rob Fitzgibbon’s February 21st Letter to the Editor in which he suggests that residents donate to Spaulding Education Fund to support the school district.
We are very appreciative of the community’s awareness of our district’s education fund, and of course, welcome donations and support of any kind. However, Spaulding Education Fund cannot make up for the program cuts that have been proposed in the district’s tax-supported budget.
Spaulding Education Fund awards grants for innovative programs that enhance the school district’s academic curriculum. In recent years we’ve funded a Shakespeare-in-Residence program, the Model UN Club’s trip to New York to visit the United Nations Headquarters, and motion sensors to support STEM education at the middle school.
We do not fund teaching positions, stipends or basic office supplies. Our grants are typically one-time payments, often for pilot programs; we generally cannot guarantee that funds will be available for future years. It is up to the School Committee to include the critical components of the academic program in the budget it proposes to the towns.
Our volunteers work hard to raise funds to augment students’ classroom experiences with inspiring learning opportunities. We are proud of the positive impact that Spaulding Education Fund has had on MERSD students.
But our contribution can’t come close to the excellent education that Essex and Manchester students can receive. That’s up to the School Committee, and ultimately our towns’ voters. We encourage readers to get involved and advocate for our local schools.
