AEF Enters Into the First Phase of a Strategic Plan

Amherst Education Foundation – For Immediate Release.

May 21st, 2009-
In September of 2008 AEF entered into the first phase of a strategic plan in order to establish a reliable source of long-term funding for the Amherst-Area Public Schools. AEF’s Strategic Planning Committee headed by Diana Spurgin has worked on this plan for the last 7 months to create an even more powerful plan for revitalizing AEF as a powerful funding mechanism that provides significant support for teachers and students on a consistent basis.

AEF will accomplish this by:
* Engaging the community in fundraising through mobilizing broad community support for public schools
* Supporting district-wide learning initiatives
* Encouraging teacher innovation and teaching excellence
* Responding to emerging educational needs
* Fostering collaborative projects with community partners

AEF is now ready to unveil its plan at their spring reception, which is being held at wünderarts Gallery on May 21st. In this reception AEF will also be honoring the long and valuable service of its retiring co- presidents. Karen Dimock and Nan Klausner–Wise. Klausner –Wise has been involved in AEF since it’s founding in 1994. The wünderarts reception will also serve as the venue for demonstrations of projects funded by AEF in 2008.

AEF’s reception is mostly a celebration of giving, celebrating the teachers and students who have generated successful projects, celebrating AEF’s 15th year of giving to the public schools, celebrating their new focused plan that the volunteers of AEF have created, and especially celebrating the donors whom have continued to be generous through these tough economic times.

As of the end of the organizations third quarter in March, AEF had enough contributions to be able to distribute gifts amounting to $20,000. During this reception AEF will be giving the principals of Amherst, Pelham, Shutesbury and Leveret, this years gifts, which will be allocated as follows:
$5,550 to Amherst regional High School
$3,500 to Amherst Regional Middle School
$10,000 to the 4 Amherst Elementary Schools and Pelham Elementary School
And $500 each to Shutesbury and Leverett elementary.
(To see more about how these funds are being use look on back.)

Visit AEF’s website soon for the AEF detailed strategic plan. Also visit AEF http://www.amhersteducationfoundation.org/ to make tax-deductible general or targeted donations to local schools. For more information, You can also contact: :Tracy Hightower Phone: 413-657-6879 or Email: tracy@waterfieldfarms.net

AEF FUNDS ARE BEING USED FOR:

The Amherst regional High School, according to Principal Mark Jackson, will use the AEF gift to restore of funds for underwriting stipends for club advisors. Over the last three years, ARHS has been forced to cut student activities budgets to zero. This is quite a precipitous fall - three years ago, ARHS was able to support over 60 clubs. The ARHS School Council has focused on fund raising to support 30 of these clubs for next year. The AEF funds will help jumpstart this effort with a goal to have parents match funds given. ARHS will also use a portion of the funds for faculty professional development, like the stipends for club advisors; this is an area that has been cut over the last three to four years. Our aim is to support on-going professional development for the HS faculty and staff. AEF's support will enable ARHS to do this more effectively than if we were left to exclusively rely on the school's budget.

Glenda Cresto the Principal of The Amherst Regional Middle School will use the AEF funds for professional development in the area of differentiated instruction. Crestro says ”I truly appreciate this opportunity -- particularly at this time. Our special education teachers are currently engaged in rethinking how special education services are scheduled for students. AEF’s conversations in this regard has been energizing. Many, many creative ideas have been expressed. Also expressed is a desire for additional professional development to support our work with students in English, Math, Social Studies and Science classrooms. AEF’s generosity and foresight in providing the opportunity to access funds for professional development in the area of differentiating instruction is exactly what we need!”

Crocker Farm is using their AEF funds to support the school’s Wednesday afternoon enrichment clubs.

Fort River will be working with the UMass Amherst Commonwealth College & Office of Community Service Learning to support students with enrichment programming. We are appreciative of AEF's support and will be using the funds to provide stipends to staff members who will be developing and implementing this exciting new project in collaboration with UMass.

Marks Meadow is using their funds for after school clubs and enrichment activities so that they can be offered more regularly and to expand their repertoire of materials to be used by our Intervention teachers in math and reading.

Pelham is using their AEF funds for library books because the library books account is cut in half at Tier one and reduced to zero at Tier two.

Wildwood is using AEF funds to support further professional development in the Lucy Calkins Workshop Model for the Language Arts program.