July 2010 - Community Impact Newspaper

24 | July 2010 Community Impact Newspaper • Lake Travis/Westlake Edition
Education
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district, for the school district.”
This year LTEF awarded $130,000 to teachers in grants
to fund a variety of programs, including Lego Mindstorm
NXT kits for robotics at Lake Travis Middle School and a
Mobile Netbook Wireless Lab at Lake Travis High School
to allow students to do research via the Internet.
Since the foundation’s establishment in 1985, LTEF has
supported LTISD schools with more than $2.4 million in
grants and scholarships.
About the foundations
The first education foundations began about 50 years ago
in California and have since spread across the nation.
“I think it’s becoming a preferred avenue of funding
because so many districts have had mandates put on them
or their general operating budget can only stretch so far and
they really can’t do innovative programs, or things above
and beyond. I think that’s where the education foundations
come in,” said Laurie Cromwell, an education foundation
consultant for Foundation Innovation, a firm in Buda that
works with foundations in Texas, Kansas and Oregon.
She said foundations generally fund innovative classroom
projects through grants to teachers but sometimes
will even fund essentials such as teacher salaries. However,
she said she does not advise foundations to assist with dayto-day
operations of a district because it is difficult to fund
year after year.
“[The foundations] can fund any priorities they deem
appropriate, but what we tell them is even though you’re an
independent organization, you rely on the expertise of the
school district or the superintendent to tell you what those
needs are,” Cromwell said.
While foundations have helped start new programs in
districts, Cromwell said she believes districts could make
do without foundations.
“The money is great—you’re seeing funding from $10,000
up to millions of dollars, but it really is not—percentagewise—impacting
your general operating budget. However,
the community engagement involvement has become more
important than anything,” Cromwell said.
How much is being funneled out of the districts?
Each year districts are evaluated on their status as Chapter
41, and each Chapter 41 district is affected differently
because the state uses a formula to determine the amount
a district should be getting versus how much it is getting.
The formula is complicated but generally includes two key
factors: the number of students in the district and property
values within the district. In EISD, for example, more than
half of the funds it collects from residential taxes are recaptured
by the state.
Wally Moore, executive director for Eanes Education
Foundation, said the foundation became much more
Lake Travis Education Foundation
Lake Travis ISD became Chapter 41: 1993
Preliminary cost of recapture 2009-10*: $29,573,388
Foundation established: 1985
Amount foundation has raised to date: $2.4 million+
Education Foundation contact:
P.O. Box 340759, Austin, TX 78734
533-6095 • email@laketraviseducationfoundation.org
www.laketraviseducationfoundation.org
Eanes Education Foundation
Eanes ISD became Chapter 41: 1994-1995
Preliminary cost of recapture 2009-10*: $56,184,069
Foundation established: 2004
Amount foundation has raised to date: $3.45 million
Education Foundation contact:
601 Camp Craft Road, Austin, TX 78746
732-9065 • eef@eanesisd.net
www.eaneseducationfoundation.org
involved after the recapture rate for Eanes went above
50 percent.
“[Eanes] basically went from having 100 percent of its
property taxes to half or less than half, so it’s required
major adjustments,” Moore said. “It didn’t happen all in
one year, so there’s been some time for those adjustments.
Also [state] funding has been capped for several years and
expenses continue to go up, so the district continually has
to operate less on a per pupil basis.”
For the past three years, the EEF has awarded EISD
grants between $850,000 and $900,000 to be earmarked for
teacher compensation.
“I think [Eanes] really does rely on us. The grant we’re
able to make is significant and needed while their budget is
below the breaking point,” Moore said.
And he does not feel like this will soon change.
“I don’t believe any other revenue sources will become
easier for them. The formula [used in determining how
much a district must give back] is not likely to be adjusted
in the future,” Moore said.
He said community members can get involved with the
EEF by learning about school legislation and finance, being
advocates of public school funding or through volunteering
or donating.
The foundation raises funds through an annual campaign,
a gala and events throughout the year, receiving
about 1,600 cash gifts of varying sizes yearly.
“The foundation’s role provides a way for the community
that cares about the quality of education at EISD to have an
impact through voluntary donations,” Moore said.
Eanes ISD agrees the grants are an important funding
Leander Excellence in Education
Foundation
Leander ISD became Chapter 41: 2008-09
Preliminary cost of recapture 2009-10*: $236,526
Foundation established: 2006
Amount foundation has raised through Aug. 31, 2009:
$168,085
Education Foundation contact:
P.O. Box 358
Cedar Park, TX 78630-0358
www.leanderedfound.org
*Source: TEA
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source for education within the district.
“Our foundation is an important support for us as we
navigate through challenging financial times,” Eanes ISD
Superintendent Nola Wellman said. “Challenges include
state funding levels being frozen at 2006 levels and a very
large portion of our property tax revenue being recaptured
by the state. The annual EEF grant supports staff positions
and provides flexibility in staffing so that our students’
needs can be served at the highest level possible.”
Filling the gap
The Leander Excellence in Education Foundation was
started four years ago.
Although LISD became a Chapter 41 district in the
2008–09 fiscal year and has not been affected as much as
LTISD and EISD, it will give $236,526 back to the state,
according to TEA, for redistribution for 2009–10.
LEEF was able to award innovative grants to teachers for
special classroom projects and give need-based book scholarships
to high school students enrolled in Austin Community
College dual-enrollment programs in which students
take classes for college credit. The education foundation
was also able to fund other programs in the district.
“We’re trying to fund that gap between what the state
can provide and what the district and community expects
out of our school district,” LEEF board President Brian
Haullotte said. “In my opinion this is the best charity in
town. We’re talking about kids—our own children, our
neighbors’ children—and it’s an investment in their future
and our future.”
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