As any parent knows, teachers make a substantial difference in the quality of education students receive.
And the Park City Education Foundation will be showing its gratitude to the Park City School District’s educators in a million ways. For the third year in a row, the foundation raised just more than $1 million, in the fiscal year that ended June 30. The money will be pumped right into classrooms, through a series of grants the foundation sponsors throughout the school year.
Abby McNulty, executive director of the foundation, said the money will represent about one-fourth of the district’s discretionary budget that can be used to fund new, innovative programs. She added that it’s important to give teachers all the tools they need to provide a first-rate education.
“The teachers feel like someone always has their back,” she said. “And when they get a grant from the education foundation, it comes from us, but it’s really like the entire community of parents that are supporting them. It’s another way to say, ‘Thank you’ to the teachers that have our children for eight hours a day.”
The foundation was formed 29 years ago with humble aspirations. That it has now hit the $1 million mark for three straight years shows just how important the organization’s efforts are to the community, McNulty said.
“It just started out as a volunteer-run organization providing scholarships for students headed to college,” she said. “It’s just really grown and blossomed in the last eight to 10 years. And hitting the million-dollar mark has been incredible and a huge celebration for us. It’s a testament to the powerful community support that we have in Park City for education.”
Ember Conley, superintendent, said that, outside of Park City, she’s never encountered an education foundation that does as much to rally behind its teachers, schools and students.
“Not only is it rare, but it is so encouraging and inspiring as the leader of the district to know how much support that we have,” she said. “In so many other districts, the goal is just an average education, to get to that level. Here, the foundation supports that higher-level, quality education.”
McNulty said education foundations are becoming more common throughout the country as the struggle for funding public education continues. But she has heard of few that match the Park City Education Foundation’s scope. The goal for the upcoming year is to raise $1.4 million.
“We want to set the bar high, so we can continue to grow and expand,” she said. “We want to continue to be a great support for our principals and teachers. They make the biggest impact on the classroom, so the more tools we can give them, the better off our students will be.”
For more information on the education foundation, visit pcef4kids.org.