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By Betsy Levenson, Foundation Board Member and Strategic Planning Facilitator
Beloved comedian Milton Berle once said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” And that is exactly what the newly formed Oracle Schools Foundation has done!
Determined not to be discouraged by Arizona’s 49th out of 50th rank in funding for public education, a group of SaddleBrooke and Oracle residents have come together with Oracle School District parents, teachers and administrators and taken action. Under the banner of the newly formed Oracle Schools Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization, members recently embarked on a strategic planning process aimed at helping the Foundation make a significant and measurable difference in the Oracle School District.
Mindful of Yogi Berra’s wise warning: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else”, Foundation members worked together to build clarity and unanimity about our mission: “To provide financial and related support to ensure that every Oracle student has unlimited opportunity to succeed”; our vision: “To be a beacon of excellence in public education”; and a limited number of areas of focus that were realistic and achievable in terms of the District’s priority needs.
After what seemed like endless hours spent analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and external trends, members zeroed in on the broad goal areas that will constitute our three-year work plan:
• Build a more sustainable and long-term Foundation structure;
• Provide continuous financial support for early childhood literacy education; and
• Engage the broader community in the mission of the Foundation.
In conclusion, you may ask, “Why early childhood literacy as the sole beneficiary of our financial support?” With all the pressing needs out there, what made Foundation Board members focus on that one small slice of the pie? The answer, for us, became very clear. If we truly intend to be a “beacon of excellence in public education”, then we must do something about the huge number of District children who do not attend pre-school because their families cannot afford it. Pre-school, in our view, is where it all begins… so that’s where we decided we had to begin. The fact is that in less than a year of operation, the Foundation has already netted $20,000 and has earmarked most of that to enroll twelve “scholarship youngsters” for this fall’s Kindergarten Prep pre-school program.
This is a great start, but we’ve only just begun. Want to be a part of this meaningful journey? Learn more on our website: OracleSchoolsFoundation.com
While you’re on the website, you can make a donation, as well as sign up for our email list. You can also follow us on Facebook. Ready to have a front row seat on this journey? Join us now as a “Champion of the Oracle Schools Foundation”. To find out how, send an email to: info@OracleSchoolsFoundation
We welcome your involvement in this very important effort!
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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