Alternative District Funding

Methods & Strategies

Presented by: Freehold Borough School District Funding & Finance Committee

March 12, 2012

Funding & Finance Committee

• John Brovak (District educator)

• Patrick DeGeorge (District business administrator)

• Susan Greitz (Resident*, BoE member)

• Annette Jordan (BoE member)

• Maureen MacCutcheon (BoE member)

• Chris Naspo (District educator, “Teacher of the Year” recipient)

• Bruce Patrick (Resident*, BoE member)

• Leslie Stivale (Resident)

• Nicole Tate (Resident)

• Dan Xavier (Funding & Finance Committee Chair, BoE member)

Funding & Finance Mission

To explore alternative, non-traditional,

and non-taxpayer-funded methods to

finance both short-term & long-term

projects for the Freehold Borough

School District.

Situation/Challenge

• Inadequate state aid

• Limited town ratables

• An exhausted tax base

SOLUTION

GRANTS!!!

Basic Grant Classifications

• Curriculum Grants o Fund teaching and curriculum that support learning through

projects, field trips, materials, professional development and

industry or institutional partnerships

• Facilities Grants o Designed to improve and modernize facilities

• Miscellaneous Grants

21st Century Community

Learning Center Grant

A program to support the creation of community learning

centers to provide academic enrichment opportunities

during non-school hours for children, particularly students

who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. It

helps students meet state and local student standards in

core academic subjects, offers students a broad array of

enrichment activities to complement their regular academic

programs, and offers literacy and other educational

services to the families of participating children.

21st Century Grant & FBSD

• FBSD was awarded the grant in

2004 o It’s been renewed for 8 consecutive

years

• FBSD receives approximately

$535,000 per year o Since 2004, FBSD has received over

4.2 million in funding from this grant

alone.

• Initial grant application took 90

– 100 hours to complete • Yearly renewal applications require

additional hours to complete

Available Grants (Partial Listing)

• The Grants for Arts Projects (GAP)

• Events to Run

• Fuel Up to Play

• Creative Capital Grants for Artists

• TEAMS Teaching Prize

• Toshiba America Foundation K-5 Grants

• EdTech Conference Grants

• Innovations in Reading Prize

• ING Run For Something Better National

School Awards

• Supporting Effective Educator Development

Grant

• 2012 Wildlife Conservation Youth

Engagement Grants

• 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth

Program Awards

• Race to the Top Fund Phase 3

• The Power A Bright Future Program

• Keep Gym in School: Physical Education

Program Grant

• I CAN Learn Million Student Study

• CRESH Grants

• ING Unsung Heroes

• IRA Regie Routman Teacher Recognition

Grant

• Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

• Career Development Grants

• Community Action Grants

• P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s

Education Grants

• 2011 Visual Learning TechGrants

• 2011-12 Siemens Competition in Math,

Science & Technology

• Knowles Science Teaching Foundation

Fellowships

• Kids In Need Teacher Grants

• Aspiring Principals Program

• Project Ignition

• DemandTec Retail Challenge

• GreenWorks Grants

FBSD Teacher Survey

In 2011 the Funding &

Finance Committee

surveyed the FBSD staff (via

SurveyMonkey) in efforts to

better understand what they

feel are the strongest

obstacles in the grant

submission process.

• What school do you teach for?

• How many years have you taught (in and

out of district)?

• Have you ever applied for a grant?

• Was the process satisfying?

• Did you feel supported (by administration,

fellow teachers or the Board of Education)

during the process?

• Do you want to apply for a grant again?

• If you could have the funds to improve your

classroom what would you purchase?

• What motivates you to engage in the grant

writing process?

• If you have not applied for a grant, what has

stopped you?

• What resources would help and support you

in the grant process?

Results

Top 3 reasons why Freehold Borough educators do not

complete grant applications:

1.Lack of time

2.Lack of support

3.Lack of resources

Grant Strategy & Proposal

Upon conclusion of the situation assessment and research

phases, the Funding & Finance Committee recommends

the implementation of a multi-faceted formal grant

identification & application system that:

• Identifies appropriate grant funding opportunities

• Assists educators and district administrators

during the application process

• Provides a peer-review resource portal for

additional submission guidance

Part 1: Grant Identification

It is recommended that an existing staff member be

assigned as the official “District Grant Identifier”. This

individual will be responsible for identifying all available

grants (curriculum, facilities, miscellaneous) and alerting

the appropriate educator or administrator via a defined

protocol in a timely manner.

District Grant Identifier

Part 1: Grant Identification

District Grant Identifier

Educator Educator

Educator Educator

Grants pushed

monthly

Part 2: Review Committee

Once grants have been identified and parties have shown

interest, potential applicants will formally present their grant

requests to a “Review Committee” charged with ranking the

grant’s educational and/or social benefits to the district.

Review Committee

Part 2: Review Committee

Grant Identifier

Educator Educator

Educator Educator

Review

Committee

1. Administration: Superintendent

2. Administration: School Principal

3. Administration: Director of Curriculum

4. Peer: Teacher (unaffiliated with application)

5. Peer: Teacher (unaffiliated with application)

Part 2: Classroom Coverage

If the Review Committee determines a potential grant has

significant educational and/or social benefits to the district,

the requesting applicant will be permitted to utilize a pre-

determined number of substitute hours drawn from a

district “hours bank”.

These hours will be applied in the form of substitute

classroom coverage, allowing educators the opportunity to

work on their grant applications during normal business

hours.

Part 2: Classroom Coverage

Grant

Identifier

Educator Educator

Educator Educator

Review

Committee

NOTE: Those wishing to apply for grants

the Review Committee deems ineligible for

classroom coverage may still apply for

grants on their own and can still utilize

other district grant tools & resources.

District Substitute Hours Bank

Educator Educator

Part 3: Additional Support

The FFC also recommends the creation of a online district

Grant Resource portal to store all prior grant submissions

and accompanying research documentation, thereby

providing new grant applicants with an existing reference

library to aid in their submissions.

Part 3: Additional Support (Cont.)

In addition to the reference library, the portal will contain a

comprehensive resource database listing the names,

contact information, and areas of expertise of any district

resident willing to offer their professional advice/support to

the grant submission process.

•Bailey, Robbie – 732.555.3344 (Plumber)

•Patterson, Kevin – 732.555.3344 (Research Biologist)

•Smith, John – 732.555.4455 (Roofer Contractor)

•Smith, Lisa – 732.555.4455 (Clinical Scientist)

•Vandalay, Art – 732.555.5566 (Architect)

•Waters, Roger – 732.555.6677 (Musician)

ADVERTISING!!!

Great! But how do we PAY

for the substitute hours bank?

Advertising 101

Marketers want – and will pay – to advertise where large

groups of their target demographic audiences can be

reached. However in order to attract potential advertisers &

sponsors, the district must increase it’s reach to potential

consumers beyond the student body family.

Current Reach

Expanded Community Reach

Current District Reach & Methods

• 1,400+ students, 1,200+ parents

• Potential media vehicles include:

o Freehold Borough School District website

o Quarterly District Newsletter

o District Calendar

o Backpack Stuffers

o Event Playbills

o Yearbooks

o Student Handbooks

o Graduation Programs

LEVERAGE FBSD

FACILITIES!!!

Great! But HOW do we increase

reach to an expanded

community?

District Facilities

Rental facilities to include (but not limited to) the following:

• Baseball/softball fields o Targets: Local public recreation, private sports leagues, etc.

• Soccer/Football fields o Targets: Local public recreation, private sports leagues, etc.

• Gymnasium o Targets: Local basketball recreation leagues, private groups, etc.

• Theater prod. stage o Targets: Local drama clubs, etc.

Increased Usage

The FFC recommends the district engage in an aggressive

facilities rental awareness campaign to increase traffic and

prove to potential advertisers that our facilities maintain

high-levels of continuous community usage.

In order to attract community groups and generate venue

consideration, the FFC recommends implementing a

competitive pricing structure for all facilities as well as

convenient usage start/stop times for the district’s athletic

fields.

Community-Facing Advertising

Baseball/softball field signage

Community-Facing Advertising (Cont.)

Soccer/football field signage

Community-Facing Advertising (Cont.)

Gymnasium/theater prod. signage

Potential FBSD Advertisers (Partial Listing)

Youth Goods/Apparel o Forever 21

o Justice

o Abercrombie Kids

o Old Navy

o Sketchers

o GAP Kids

o Build-A-Bear Workshop

General Consumer Goods o Cohen’s Fashion Optical

o Sears

o Best Buy

o Giorgeo’s Fine Jewelry

o Verizon

o GNC

o Sephora

Sporting Goods o Dick’s Sporting Goods

o Champs Sports

o Freehold Bicycle

o Beacon Cycling & Fitness

Convenience Stores o CVS

Local Restaurants o Sweet Lew’s Hometown Cafe

o Main Street Bistro

o The Court Jester

o Federici’s

o The American Hotel

o Basiles

o Oyaka Hibachi & Sushi

Summary & Key Takeaways

The Freehold Borough School District Funding & Finance

Committee recommends the implementation of a multi-

faceted formal grant identification & application system

that:

• Identifies appropriate grant funding opportunities

• Assists educators and district administrators during the

application process

• Provides a peer-review resource portal for additional

submission guidance

• Is funded through advertising revenue derived from

increased outside community facilities usage

THANK YOU