With a view toward maintaining high educational standards and quality facilities, the Biddeford School Department is planning to invest in a new staff member who will seek funding from sources other than taxpayers. Superintendent of Schools Jeremy Ray made the pitch for this development/marketing/fundraising position to the school committee on Aug. 27, and we’re glad that it seems to have been well received.
The new staffer in Biddeford would oversee a capital campaign to fund significant repairs to the schools, write grants and work alongside a nonprofit education foundation’s board of directors, which would be newly formed.
This type of position is usually reserved for private high schools, colleges and nonprofit organizations; Thornton Academy in Saco, for example, has invested in an entire development/community relations department.
It can make sense in a public school district, too, even if it’s not a long-term position.
For taxpayers, it’s tempting to shoot down the hiring of a new staff member when the school district has been struggling with significant cuts, but this one is different. Unlike an additional teacher or administrator, this position will literally pay for itself ”“ and much more ”“ if the right person is hired. Rather than an expenditure, a fundraising position can be an investment in the district.
With each passing budget season, it has become more clear that the schools cannot attain all their goals for facilities and programs with the current level of funding from local taxpayers and state coffers. Ray noted, for example, that new bleachers are needed at Waterhouse Field, with a price tag of at least $1.5 million, and there’s no way the Biddeford taxpayers would support it. It’s those types of improvements and projects that an education foundation and development director can help see to fruition through private funding sources.
Parent-teacher associations have long helped in this role, filling the funding gap for small student projects and needs that could not be squeezed into the regular budget. These groups largely exclude the wider community, however, and rarely have volunteers who have the time and inclination to write grants.
In nearby Regional School Unit 21, a development director was in place for a few years, but that position is no longer filled. Instead, the district looks to its education foundation and alumni association to support non-budgeted items. Whether or not the position will be long-term in Biddeford remains to be seen, but in the meantime, this person can help identify funding sources and help the district develop relationships with donors and the wider community.
It’s interesting that Biddeford High School does not have any sort of alumni association, considering the intense pride that seems to be affiliated with the school. Setting up some sort of group will give those who are not parents of current students an opportunity to donate and actively support the school district. And if development of an education foundation similar to that of the Kennebunks is sparked by this investment, it can be expected to help support the schools for years to come. Currently, Biddeford residents who do not have enrolled students but might wish to lend a helping hand to the district have few options. There’s the Biddeford Athletic Association and the various bottle drives and bake sales of school clubs, but no cohesive unit to organize major fundraising for capital projects such as the field bleachers.
Taxpayers can’t afford to foot the bill for big extras at this point, especially with state education funding always seeming to dry up, but paying the salary of one person who can market the district, bring in grant money, solicit donations and tap the alumni and other school supporters for funding is a much smaller investment, and it’s one that we expect will pay off in the end.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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