Despite
recession, Eugene education grants on target
Donations
are up from a year ago and the fund hands out $94,923
By Anne
Williams, The Register-Guard, Monday, Nov 16, 2009
Even in an
ailing economy, the Eugene Education Fund’s November
grant-making tradition is alive and well — thriving, even —
thanks to the reliable flow of community donations to local
schools.
With its
annual fundraising tally ahead of where it was at this point
last year, the EEF last week announced 52 grants totaling
$94,923 — one or more for every school — and three to fund
district-wide programs.
The EEF
has awarded grants to schools since 1994, the year after the
nonprofit foundation was started. Schools can submit up to two
proposals for up to $500 each and two for $2,000 each, EEF
executive director David Meredith said, and every school sent in
at least one. Nineteen schools sent the maximum of four. Another
11 proposals came from district departments, such as health
services and instruction.
Grant-funded projects range from classroom technology to
theatrical productions to old-fashioned field trips. At Cesar
Chavez Elementary, the only school to have all four of its
proposals funded, EEF grants totaling $5,000 will pay for four
or five field trips, new math materials, outdoor school, and
school supplies for every student.
“Our
families — they all work very, very hard, but many of them can’t
afford the school supplies,” Principal Denisa Taylor said,
noting that nearly 8 in 10 Chavez students are enrolled in the
federal free and reduced-price meals program. “Kids need the
supplies, and this is the first year we’ve found even more
parents could not afford them because of their own stretched
budget.”
Taylor and
her staff apply for the maximum number of grants every year,
knowing the relatively small dollar amount makes a huge
difference for students. While the school would cobble together
the money regardless for some projects, including the school
supplies, others simply wouldn’t happen without the grants,
Taylor said.
“We would
not have been able to do outdoor school — we really could not
have this year,” she said of the overnight, nature-themed
excursion for fourth- and fifth-graders. “There’s really no
extra funds.”
Karen
Olsen, a teacher at McCornack Elementary who leads an annual
musical, said the $2,000 EEF grant will cover a majority of the
elaborate production. This year, it will be “Willy Wonka.”
“I think
what probably appeals to the EEF folks is the musical/theatrical
aspect to the grant,” said Hansen. “There are so many really
wonderful grants having to do with science and math and
technology, but the arts is just such a dying breed, with so
little support.”
A panel of
EEF board members and community members read each of the 136
proposals, assigning a score between 5 and 1. They tallied the
scores and met on Nov. 2 to vote on an initial slate of 47
grants.
Between
now and Dec. 31, more grants will be funded as dollars trickle
in. Five additional grants have already been funded since Nov.
2, bringing the total to 52. The board prioritized the
proposals, favoring schools with higher percentages of
low-income students. Already, Meredith said, almost half the
grant dollars are earmarked for the third of schools with the
highest need.
Meredith
said the EEF so far has taken in $712,017 in donations, ahead of
the same time last year by $68,049. An Oct. 15 back-to-school
gala was the most successful ever, drawing more than 200
attendees and raising $52,360.
EUGENE EDUCATION FUND GRANTS
A complete
list of grants — including those yet to be funded — may be found
at www.eef.lane.edu. So far the EEF has awarded the following,
totaling $94,923:
Districtwide: Elementary science kits, $2,900; vaccinations and
well-child clinics, $10,000; tutoring for students in shelters,
$2,000.
Adams
Elementary: Field trips to Hult Center, Mount Pisgah Arboretum
and Oregon Coast, $2,000.
Awbrey
Park Elementary: Digital cameras, $1,999.
Bertha
Holt Elementary: IditaRead challenge, $2,000.
Buena
Vista Spanish Immersion Elementary: Podcasting for emerging
readers, $500; laptop computer, $1,300.
Camas
Ridge Elementary: Multi-cultural storyteller, $1,934.
Cesar
Chávez Elementary: Field trips, $2,000; outdoor school, $2,000;
math manipulatives, $500; school supplies, $500.
Charlemagne French Immersion Elementary: Multimedia stations,
$1,998.
Coburg
Elementary: Early intervention reading, $494; razzle-dazzle
music, $500.
Corridor
Alternative Elementary: Children’s theater, $2,000.
Crest
Drive Elementary: computer training and maintenance, $2,000.
Edgewood
Elementary: Writing through storytelling, $1,920.
Edison
Elementary: School Web site, $2,000.
Family
School: Artist-in-residence, $2,000.
Gilham
Elementary: Audio system upgrade, $2,000.
Howard
Elementary: Fitness equipment, $1,941.
McCornack
Elementary: Students produce “Willy Wonka,” $2,000.
Meadowlark
Elementary: Online math intervention, $2,000.
Parker
Elementary: Multi-cultural storyteller, $2,000.
River
Road/el Camino del Rio Elementary: Farm field trips, $1,860;
dual-immersion kindergarten, $500; Spanish literacy, $500.
Spring
Creek Elementary: SMART interactive white board, $2,000.
Twin Oaks
Elementary: Audiobooks on mp3 players, $1,972.
Willagillespie Elementary: Digital cameras, $2,000.
Yujin
Gakuen Elementary: Help before school, $2,000.
Arts and
Technology Academy at Jefferson: Classroom art kits, $2,000.
Cal Young
Middle School: Battle of the Books, $1,800.
Kelly
Middle School: Outdoor school, $2,000.
Kennedy
Middle School: Accelerated algebra library, $2,000.
Madison
Middle School: ‘Living Voices’ assemblies, $500; special
education mp3 players, $2,000.
Monroe
Middle School: ‘History Alive’ workshops, $2,000.
Roosevelt
Middle School: Age-appropriate healthy decisions, $2,000.
Spencer
Butte Middle School: DocuCams, $1,992.
Eugene
International High School: Conference simulating Europe and
Asia, $1,850.
Churchill
High School: Artistic technical director, $2,000.
North
Eugene Academy of Arts: Algebra Problems-of-the-Week, $500;
digital camera, $1,000.
North
Eugene School of IDEAS: Writing across the curriculum, $2,000.
North
Eugene International High School: Coaching writing skills,
$2,000.
Sheldon
High School: Published literary review, $2,000.
South
Eugene High School: AIDS/substance abuse prevention, $2,000.
Opportunity Center: Transitioning to Lane Community College,
$500; World Rhythms drumming, $1,960.
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