20
ur future
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FUNDING OUR FUTURE
When Mark Penny arrived in the
Lincoln County R-III School District,
he was impressed with the variety of
programs and activities, awed by the
size of the student body and amazed
with the number of campuses and
their impeccable appearance. But after
initial glances, he noticed something
missing in his new community.
"I wondered how a district of this
size went so long without one," he
said. Superintendent Penny is referring
to the existence of an education
foundation, which is a non-pro?t
agency that supports items and
programs above and beyond the taxbased budget. "Given all of the cuts
to education over the last decade or
more, I was surprised one wasn?t in
place," he said. With the blessing of
the Board of Education, Penny made it
his mission to establish an education
foundation in the R-III District. Just
two years after his arrival, the Lincoln
County R-III Education Foundation is
now a functioning 501 (3)c.
Establishing an education foundation
opens many doors for the R-III
District and those wishing to make
contributions to further the cause.
School districts cannot be a 501 (3)c,
which makes donations to any school
district not tax deductible to any
donor or potential donors. The Lincoln
County R-III Education Foundation
eliminates that issue as well as paves
the way for many grant opportunities.
“Many times grants funded through
FOUNDATION
MEMBERS
AND DISTRICT
EMPLOYEES
WORKED
TOGETHER TO
IDENTIFY THE
HIGHEST AREAS
OF NEED TO
DETERMINE THE
FOUNDATION’S
FOCUS.
private companies require a 501 (3)c
status just to apply. Never again will
the Lincoln County R-III School District
miss out on grant opportunities,”
Penny a?rmed.
Since the summer of 2012,
approximately
30
community
volunteers have worked to not only
achieve the non-pro?t status, but
to adopt policies and bylaws, create
programming in alignment with the
district?s Strategic Plan, outline rubrics
for awarding grants and educate the
public on the mission of the Education
Foundation. Foundation president
Tracy Black, a mother of two R-III
students said the mission is simple.
"We will be the leading nonpro?t
continually supporting educational
excellence in the Lincoln County R-III
School District,” she said. "We have a
great group of diverse talents among
us with one thing in common. We love
our community and are determined
to ensure its prosperity in the
future."
The group of volunteers
believes by inspiring young
students to dream big and
supplying those students with
a litany of tools and resources
to enrich their education the
community will bene?t in the
long run.
"When these students are
inspired to learn, in and outside of
the classroom, a dream will begin for
each of them. The R-III District