Spring 2016

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Consumers Energy Boosts Read early. Read often. Efforts submitted by Kristin Tank, Public Information Officer, 231-767-7263 or ktank@muskegonisd.org A $15,000 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation will boost the efforts behind a local movement to read early and often to infants and toddlers throughout Muskegon County. The funding for the MAISD will impact the community’s early literacy in three areas: increasing parents’ competence and confidence as their children’s first teacher, increasing children’s exposure to reading and early literacy activities, and instilling early literacy as a social norm. “We want to promote reading for the youngest children in the Muskegon area because it will have a clear and powerful impact on the community’s future,” said Carolyn Bloodworth, secretary/treasurer of the Consumers Energy Foundation. “Early childhood education, which our company and foundation supported with over $530,000 last year, is a building block for a strong Michigan.” The Consumers Energy Foundation funding will fuel the work of Read early. Read often. liaison Laura Chaffee as she connects with families, health and human service providers, and other community networks that serve our youngest children. Mrs. Chaffee’s position began in September 2015 with support from the MAISD, Community Foundation for Muskegon County, and the Gerber Foundation. According to MAISD Superintendent John Severson, the Consumers Energy Foundation funding is critical to Mrs. Chaffee’s future work. “Thanks to our partners at Consumers Energy, Read early. Read often. will be able to continue to make face-toface connections with the parents of our tiniest children, and the health and human service providers who serve them,” said Dr. Severson. “Mrs. Chaffee is doing a fantastic job by spreading the message about why reading early and often is important, and by providing free books to families who need them,” he added. Mrs. Chaffee has worked with premature and medically fragile babies and their families for the past 17 years. In addition to meeting families oneon-one, she has been focused on identifying community partners to promote early literacy. In addition to families and health and human service providers, Mrs. Chaffee is currently connecting with businesses, schools and colleges, libraries, media, faith, government, and community members. She has also been managing the growing influx and outflow of books funded by private business owners and community book drives. Since July of 2015, thousands of books have been given to families throughout Muskegon County. The Read early. Read often. initiative, prompted by public school superintendents, began in August of 2014, with a few hundred yard signs. Since that time it has garnered a high level of interest and support throughout the Muskegon Area. The initiative, meant to change the culture to one that reads every day, everything, everywhere to infants and toddlers, has generated loads of positive ideas and actions. See www.readearly.org to learn more. The Consumers Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Consumers Energy. It provides funding for a variety of areas including education, community and civic development, culture and the arts, social services, the environment, and emerging issues. Consumers Energy, its foundation, employees and retirees last year gave over $6.5 million to Michigan nonprofits.
Report Reveals Variety of Safety and Technology Needs Met by Millage A recent report that details how each school district has invested their countywide Technology & Security Enhancement Millage funds is now available online at http://bit.ly/1OwJhAp. The first of its kind, the 16- page report provides a listing of first year successes in 2014-15, and plans for 2015-16 and beyond. It includes how much money each of the eleven districts received through the new $4.2 million annual millage, and how much schools spent in the areas of technology, professional development, and security. “This report, to the citizens of Muskegon County, features the faces of the students who are actually benefiting from this remarkable investment. We want to celebrate the difference this funding has already made in each of our districts in the first year. We also want to help educate our community about the wide variety of needs our districts are addressing,” said Dr. John Severson, MAISD Superintendent. According to the report, some districts made significant investments in security, while others had recently upgraded security systems and instead spent their funds on faster, more reliable Internet connections and/or personal learning devices for student use. Others used funding to cover teacher training costs related to integrating technology into the classroom to optimize learning. “As a nation, we continue to see an increased level of violent intrusions into our schools and colleges,” said Dr. Severson. “Now we have dedicated funds to make our campuses safer,” he added. Captain Michael Poulin of the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office said, “As a result of the support of our community, our area school districts have been able to create a safer learning environment for our youth. With the addition of monitored video intercom systems, districts are able to create a single point of entry which helps with screening of persons entering a building.” The countywide enhancement millage is a first for Muskegon County. Voters passed the one-mill, tenyear property tax increase back in February of 2014 to provide $163 in per-student funding to eleven local public school districts to pay for upgrades to technology and security. By law, the funds must flow through the MAISD to local districts. “The MAISD has done a fantastic job of quickly and accurately distributing the funds generated from the countywide Technology & Security Enhancement Millage. Every cent is arriving in our neighborhood schools as promised,” said Muskegon Public Schools Superintendent Jon Felske. According to Dr. Severson, while the process of sorting and prioritizing needs varies by school district, every elected school board of education has complete control and oversight of the expenditure of millage funds. “Our schools are making wise investments that are resulting in safer schools, and students who are better prepared for college and careers that rely heavily on the use of technology.” submitted by Kristin Tank, Public Information Officer 231-767-7263 or ktank@muskegonisd.org
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Spring 2016

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