Supporting Excellence in Public Schools: Michael Valliant

from Tidewater Times October 2021

That Sinking Feeling: A.M. Foley

Supporting Excellence in Public Schools

TCPS Education Foundation by Michael Valliant

What do microscopes in a science department, an art patio at Easton Elementary, funding for the Easton Middle School drum line, a hydroponic garden and virtual reality goggles at Chapel District, and funding distance learning technology during a pandemic all have in common? They are all projects funded and supported by the Education Foundation of Talbot County Public Schools.

“A teacher makes a request ~ it all starts there,” said David Short, the Chairman of the Education Foundation’s Board. “And now we have teachers and educators whose creativity is stimulated by the availability of these funds, knowing there is money available. Now they can open their minds and say, ‘well if I had the money, I would do this,’ and not have to reach into their own pockets to do it.”

Since its founding in 2016, the Education Foundation has raised more than $565,000 to support excellence in public education. The Foundation was formed in October of 2016 in partnership with the MidShore Community Foundation with a mission to engage the community in supporting excellence in public education and provide resources to enhance the teaching and learning experience for all.

The idea of an education foundation was talked about for a number of years by the TCPS Board of Education before it happened. They were looking for additional ways to find funding for school projects that couldn’t get adequate funding approved in the budgeting process.

Like many school other districts, Baltimore County Public Schools has

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Education Foundation “We would not have achieved this amount of success and growth withan education foundation that had out Debbie’s effort and continued been up and running for a number support,” Short said. of decades. TCPS Superintendent Short began his involvement with Kelly Griffith reached out to Deb- TCPS as a parent of a student at bie Phelps, the executive director White Marsh Elementary in Trappe. of the BCPS Education Foundation He became president of the PTO, for guidance. Phelps, the mother of has been involved with Character Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps Counts, and later was appointed to and a former school administrator, complete the term of a Trappe repalso had prior experience with start- resentative on the Board of Educaing non-profit foundations. tion.

In 2016, the Talbot County Board “My daughter is a product of Talof Education approved the initiative bot County Public Schools, she is a to establish an education founda- junior at Easton High School this tion. Debbie Gardner, Coordinator year,” Short said. “My wife and I of Public Relations and Special Pro- are both public school people, so we grams for TCPS, was asked to help believe in it a great deal. And what start the Foundation and serve as a great opportunity the foundation liaison to the school district. gives us, to go out and raise money

to supplement the Board of Education’s budget and do things for the kids that might not happen otherwise.”

What are some of those opportunities? There are too many to list, but to name a few: “One School, One Book,” which gets elementary school students and staff reading and discussing the same book; new microscopes for the science departments; in partnership with the Talbot County Arts Council, co-funding an art patio at Easton Elementary; helping to fund the dynamic drum line at Easton Middle; funding for gifted and talented programs and arts programs; United Sound, a partnership music program at St. Michaels Elementary that pairs special needs students with traditional band students; and this year at Easton Elementary, funding physical education partner programs for students with special needs.

“We had a teacher at Chapel District Elementary, who was super innovative in her approach to cur-

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riculum, and she put in a request for hydroponic gardens for her fifth grade science class and virtual reality goggles for her class. And we were able to help fund those initiatives,” Gardner said.

And then, when schools shut down during the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, students all had to have internet connectivity to access their education. The Education Foundation started raising money to help pay for those expenses for families who couldn’t afford it. They forged a partnership with Easton Utilities for those families who qualified for free and reduced meals at school. The Foundation board aggressively marketed and raised funds to meet that community need.

In addition to the grant programs, the Education Foundation also has a number of scholarship funds, including a donor-directed fund specifically for students going on to technical and vocational schools.

“We also have a privately funded scholarship designated for a graduating senior from each high school who stands out for his or her exemplary effort, and may have faced and overcome unusual challenges. The student should also have demonstrated commitment to impacting the community both now and in the future.” Gardner said. “That scholarship was new this past year.”

They now have a fund for mental health services in the school, thanks to a partnership with the Latin Honor Society and the Dock Street Foundation, as well as an award for graduating seniors in memory of a Talbot County teacher who passed away. The Foundation has also supported students interested in careers in the military, through grants to the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Corps

(NJROTC) program at Easton High.

“These programs have evolved pretty rapidly when you consider the relatively short time since the foundation was established,” Gardner said.

In order to best work with and be responsive to teachers, the Foundation has kept the grant application process revolving and fl uid, so there aren’t fi xed deadlines, they take applications throughout the year.

“Really what we want to do is look to the educators to tell us what the focus should be. We want to know from teachers what are the things we can help them fund?” Gardner said. “Our interest lies in every age group, every subject, every school. Our focus is keeping the information available to the public and garnering support that way.”

To date, there have been two big recurring fundraising events, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” among the county-wide fi fth grade team, which was put together as a streaming video program this year. And then an annual “Mission Possible” event, where TCPS Distinguished Alumni are honored, and donors can fund specifi c programs and initiatives with teachers there to talk specifi cally about their grant requests.

An initiative like the Education Foundation only works through community support. In just fi ve years, they have been able to get the word out, raise funds, and work with teachers and students to make a major impact on educational opportunities in Talbot County. The response has been incredible and gratifying. “Our community has been amazing, the generosity just keeps coming in,” Short said. “And we have to get the message out to remind people we are doing this and we’re going to be doing it forever.”

For more information on the TCPS Education Foundation, volunteer opportunities, grant or scholarship opportunities, or ways to help fund, contact Debbie Gardner at dgardner@talbotschools.org or visit their website at www.tcpsedfoundation. org.