BOE may revive schools foundation

Published 2:51 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Butler County Public Schools Foundation may soon make a comeback.

The foundation, which serves as a fundraising arm for the school system, was started in the early 1990s and benefited greatly from a partnership with Alabama Power Company, which supplied a matching donation for each dollar collected by the foundation. The foundation has been inactive for more than a decade.

“When the matching funds ceased, so did the enthusiasm for continuing the fundraising and fund distribution work,” said Superintendent Amy Bryan. “Recently we’ve found the interest again and are looking to revive the foundation. Even without matching funds, we hope that the funds that we do raise will be sufficient to make a difference in measurable ways throughout the county.”

Email newsletter signup

Bryan said the foundation will raise funds to help meet various needs throughout the school system, such as out-of-county travel to competitions, band uniforms, math tournaments, Spelling Bees, individual classroom and school projects or mini-grants to aid employees in gathering supplies.

“We hope to provide generous individuals, organizations and businesses that will support student opportunities through this tax-friendly 501(c)3 foundation,” said Bryan.

The foundation would be governed by a board of directors that is made up of non-school system employees.

The BOE has not yet made a decision on whether or not to restart the foundation.

The BOE will hold its next meeting Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Central Office Boardroom located at 949 Oglesby St. in Greenville.