6th grade hydroponics unit in action!

In June 2023 the Edgemont School Foundation awarded a grant to Mrs. Lugo, the Seely Place 6th grade science teacher, to start a hydroponics unit in her classroom. The students have been working on the classroom garden all year and this past week were able to eat their science projects with a “salad party!” ESF is so thankful to be able to fund projects like this, impacting whole grades at one time.

How State Aid Impacts Edgemont

The state provides aid under a number of categories, but by far the most important and material bucket is Foundation Aid. The state’s allocations of Foundation Aid ($21.3 billion in 2022-2023) to school districts is intended to ensure that all districts in the state have the necessary resources to ensure all students receive a “sound basic education” as required by the state constitution. The formula for calculating Foundation Aid is overly complex; however, what is important to note that the two primary drivers of the differences in aid received amongst schools are: 

  1. Expected Minimum Local Contribution (i.e., the relative wealth of the community), based on a computed tax rate or local share formula that utilizes an income wealth index and a local tax factor. 
  2. Total Aidable Foundation Pupil Units (i.e., enrollment).

In short, the higher the income wealth index the lower the proportional share of the Foundation Aid pot. Conversely, the lower the enrollment, the lower the proportional share of the Foundation Aid pot. Edgemont has a high income wealth index and a mid to low enrollment total. As a result, we receive less aid than neighboring districts who rate differently on these metrics. 

The good news is, that over the past ten years, we’ve seen an increase in the percentage of our revenue budget stemming from state aid. Namely, an increase from 6% of the budget in 2014-15 to 12% of the budget in the current year. This is most closely attributed to the state’s commitment to fully fund districts based on the approved Foundation Aid formula. As a result, we have seen a 56% increase in our Foundation Aid allocations in two years. This will be the last significant increase as we are now “fully funded.” Moving forward, we expect more modest increases based on economic growth factors. 

Year Budget   Foundation Aid  Total State Aid Aid as % of Budget
2024 $          69,374,373  $      4,869,652  $      8,076,495 12%
2023 $          67,026,024  $      3,541,218  $      6,587,323 10%
2022 $          65,251,389  $      2,546,644  $      5,163,310 8%
2021 $          63,616,332  $      2,103,877  $      4,563,118 7%
2020 $          61,048,737  $      2,104,103  $      4,378,532 7%
2019 $          59,129,371  $      2,078,729  $      4,571,279 8%
2018 $          57,092,835  $      2,028,138  $      4,479,340 8%
2017 $          55,512,470  $      1,960,263  $      4,059,081 7%
2016 $          54,104,349  $      1,960,259  $      3,669,817 7%
2015 $          53,149,102  $      1,944,439  $      3,354,471 6%

Neighboring districts like Ardsley, White Plains, Hastings, and Elmsford receive between 14% and 17.2% of their budget from State Aid. Every dollar counts!

http://WWW.EDGEMONTSCHOOLFOUNDATION.ORG/DONATE

DONATE TODAY!

How Can I Donate to The Edgemont School Foundation?

We are very thankful you would like to donate to the Foundation and help support Edgemont students. Please see the array of ways we can accept donations:
1) Credit card: www.edgemontschoolfoundation.org/donate

2) Stock donations:
Gifts of publicly traded securities that have appreciated in value allow you to avoid capital gains taxes while also receiving a tax deduction for your gift. The Foundation benefits by selling the stock without paying taxes on the gain, and you benefit from making a contribution that would be larger than what you might have been able to donate in cash.

The following are the DTC instructions for the Edgemont School Foundation for transfer of stock to the Foundation’s Advisor, Onyx Bridge Wealth Group, that clears through Charles Schwab.

DTC# 0164
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Account # 8150-1532
Account Name: Edgemont School Foundation
Reference: (name of donor)

Before a transfer of stock is made, we request that you please notify us at (info@edgemontschoolfoundation.org) with the name(s) of stock(s), number of shares, and gift designation(s) so we may monitor our account for the expected transfer and process your gift accurately.

3) Corporate Matching: Many companies will match your personal donation through their own donation program. Please inquire with your employer to see if this is an option for you. We have accounts with CyberGrants, Benevity Matching Grants, and EasyMatch.

4) Estate Planning: Please keep the Edgemont School Foundation in mind when planning your future and estate.

5) Check: All checks may be mailed to: PO Box 1154, Scarsdale, NY 10583

The District Needs Our Support Now More Then Ever

As you may have heard, the New York State budget cuts as a result of the pandemic will impact our schools. Superintendent Kniewel and the School Board have worked tirelessly to respond to these cuts by revising Edgemont’s school budget, which the community will vote on by mail. The details of how to vote and the ballots have been mailed to you directly from the District by USPS. You will receive self-addressed stamped envelopes to allow for you to easily send back your completed ballots by June 9th. We cannot emphasize how important it is to cast your vote for this budget during these unprecedented times to ensure our District maintains its current standard of excellence.

Our school budget was already stretched thin before the pandemic, and with the future holding so many unknowns, the schools will need our support now more than ever. The Edgemont School Foundation (ESF) was established in 1993 to assist in times just like these, when the teachers and administrators need to fund areas that are not covered by taxes or other community organizations. We anticipate this year will create needs unlike ever before, and we are committed to maintaining the success of Edgemont schools. If you are in the position to contribute to help us in our effort, please click ‘donate’ above.

We are very grateful for any assistance you can provide during these challenging times. We will make it through this by supporting one another and will come out of it stronger together. Stay healthy and safe.

Warmly,

Nancy Gordon
Chair, Edgemont School Foundation

ESF Commits $164K to Upgrade Libraries at Seely & Greenville Elementary Schools

Dear Edgemont Families, Alumni, Community and Friends,

We know the school year is winding down and everyone is thinking of their summer plans and summer camps, but the ESF has some exciting news to share that will touch every child in Greenville and Seely.

This spring, the Edgemont Schools Foundation has made a significant grant commitment to Principal Jennifer Allen (Greenville Elementary) and Principle Eve Feuerstein (Seely Place Elementary) to support an initiative to update / renovate one of the core pillars of a great education and what should be the center for student learning — the Library.

ESF can only make these contributions through the enduring support of our entire community – parents, guardians, alumni, friends, teachers, administrators, and residents. We urge you, to uphold ESF’s goal to Ensure and Enhance the Value of an Edgemont Education, to continue your support via a contribution.

 

 

 

Below are details on the project and recognition of the meaningful contribution from Marla’s Fund in support of literacy.

Goals/Benefits Of This Project:

  • Expand the ways our Libraries are used, including: classes, author visits, special events, faculty meetings, department and grade level meetings, professional development, community meetings, evening information or parent meetings, summer teacher and staff curricular work and larger-sized after-school clubs.
  • Support activities that involve a class, a grade level or multiple grade levels. Our principals are already reimagining the expanded use of the space during school hours in a variety of ways – for example, the Cultural Arts Committee sponsors work with our students led by poets, playwrights, scientists, artists, musicians, environmental educators and actors.
  • Facilitate and expand special individual and multi-grade events, like Colonial Fair, the Third Grade Immigration Project and Ancestor’s Luncheon, the Health Fair, the Building-wide Hour of Code, the Wax Museum, and Writers’ Celebrations.
  • Open the rooms up for use as makerspaces, helping the schools innovate through additional instructional activities, including whole-grade STEAM, creative hands-on projects, and enhancing the use of current and future technology resources (e.g. the Promethean Board).
  • Minimize the need for the schools to cancel physical education classes due to activities and events that require larger meetings space.

Timeline:

ESF has approved the grant. But there’s still time to be a part of this school changing project! Both schools will receive renovations in the next two years 2019-2020. Work on Greenville will commence in the summer of 2019, while Seely Place will kick off in the summer of 2020.

Marla’s Fund:

We are thrilled to be working with Marla’s Fund and Marla Payson Weizner’s family to complete this project. Literacy and access to books and various learning spaces were incredibly important to Marla and something she worked toward daily during her time as a first grade teacher at Greenville. She was an instrumental educator in our school district and her legacy continues. Marla believed in every child’s right to books at their reading level. Through the library projects in both Seely and Greenville, we believe we will keep Marla’s legacy and mission alive for generations to come.

Edgemont School Foundation:

Since its founding in 1993, ESF has supported the efforts of our teachers and administrators to enhance the educational experiences for Edgemont students. While school taxes fund our district’s primary operational costs, they do not pay for all of our schools’ educational initiatives. This is where ESF steps in: We help fund school needs that are not covered by taxes or by other community organizations. In addition to this and other recent grants to support literacy development programs at the Seely Place and Greenville elementary schools, we also provided funding to renovate a classroom and create the E-Lab in the Jr./Sr. High School, which provides students with an innovative and collaborative learning environment.

To help us continue our mission, we need the support from our community. We hope that all those committed to the continued success of Edgemont, our schools, and our students will join us by supporting ESF with a generous donation.

 

 

Your Gift Can Help Us Achieve Our $130,000 Goal

Dear Edgemont Families, Alumni, Community and Friends,

For over 25 years, the Edgemont School Foundation has supported the efforts of our school district to enhance the educational experiences for our students. Although school taxes fund our district’s primary operational expenditures, they do not pay for all of our schools’ educational needs. This is where ESF fills the gap. We help fund school initiatives that are not covered by taxes or by other organizations.

During the last few years, our grants have primarily focused on teacher enrichment and modernizing classrooms to current approaches in education. For example, the E-Lab in the Junior/Senior High School was redesigned from the 1970’s era style classroom to a project-based, collaborative, flexible and student-centered environment. ESF intends to continue funding the modernization of the district’s educational spaces, including classrooms at an estimated cost of $20,000 per classroom. The new classrooms will provide authentic opportunities for learning, and will support our students’ academic, social and emotional development. We need your help to make this a reality.

Additionally, as part of our continuing commitment to Edgemont, we are focusing on reconnecting our alumni with our community. This past November, we presented our second Edgemont School Foundation Distinguished Alumni Award to Jimmy Pitaro, the president of ESPN, Inc. and a 1987 graduate of the Junior/Senior High School. The event was an entertaining, enlightening and well-attended. To nominate future alumni, please complete the EHS Distinguished Alumni Nomination Form hosted on our website.

We are happy to report that our fundraising efforts to this year’s annual appeal have been quite successful. Thanks to the generosity of our community we are 68% towards our annual fund goal so far. We would like to thank our current donors whose names appear below for already contributing to this year’s fundraising effort. We are very grateful for their generosity, and we hope that everyone will pitch in to help us exceed our ambitious goal of raising at least $130,000 before June 30th. With sincere thanks for your continuing support,

To make a gift please click the button below.


With sincere thanks for your support,   

Adam Friedman    

Nancy Gordon
Co-Chairs, Edgemont School Foundation

Support the 2018-19 Annual Campaign and Help Us Achieve Our $130,000 Goal

Dear Edgemont Families, Alumni, Community and Friends,

Would you like to help “ensure and enhance the value of an Edgemont education” for all of our students? That is exactly what you do when you support the Edgemont School Foundation (ESF).

Since its founding in 1993, ESF has supported the efforts of our teachers and administrators to enhance the educational experiences for Edgemont students. While school taxes fund our district’s primary operational costs, they do not pay for all of our schools’ educational initiatives. This is where ESF steps in; we help fund school needs that are not covered by taxes or by other community organizations. Just recently, we provided a grant to support literacy development programs at the Seely Place and Greenville elementary schools. We also provided funding to renovate a classroom and create the E-Lab in the Jr./Sr. High School, which provides students with an innovative and collaborative learning environment.

In coordination with the District’s Focus Forward strategic plan, and building on the success of the E-Lab, ESF is committed to funding the redesign of our school’s classrooms to be more in line with a 21st century approach to education. Our combined vision is to have classrooms be more project-based, collaborative, flexible and student-centered. These new spaces will provide authentic opportunities for learning and will support our students’ academic, social and emotional development.

To help us continue our mission of enhancing the educational experience in Edgemont each year, we need the support from our community. We hope that all those committed to the continued success of Edgemont, our schools and our students will join us by supporting ESF during this year’s annual campaign and help us exceed our $130,000 goal. To make a gift please click the button below.

With sincere thanks for your support,

Adam Friedman

Nancy Gordon
Co-Chairs, Edgemont School Foundation

P.S. Thank you again to our 2017-18 Annual Campaign donors.

Thank You to our 2017-18 Donors!

Dear Edgemont Families, Alumni and Friends,

Generations of students have passed through the doors of the Edgemont schools in preparation for college and their adult lives. Top-notch schools like Edgemont have a long-lasting positive impact on both students as well as the community at large. Preparing Edgemont students for the best possible future is a top priority.

The goal of the Edgemont School Foundation (“ESF”) is to support the efforts of our teachers and administrators to enhance the educational experiences for the students of Edgemont. ESF is a vital conduit between our community and the school district, deploying private funds to their best use. Through the generosity of community members like you, we are able to help deliver to all Edgemont students the “Edgemont Education” we all cherish.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of ESF, we wish to offer our sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone who helped make 2017-18 one of our most successful fundraising years ever. With the assistance of those below, we substantially exceeded our goal for the July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 fiscal year by raising over $124,000.

In the last year, ESF grants supported our schools in significant ways. Most recently, with your generous support, ESF funded the E-Lab. Located in the E-Building, this new space provides our students with a cutting-edge learning environment that is focused on teaching 21st century skills and on collaborative problem solving and peer tutoring. Engagement through authentic learning and teacher development are at the heart of the Focus Forward/Strategic Goals set by the District and we are proud that the E-Lab has now become a vital component of this.

We could not do what we do without the support of the community, and we greatly appreciate it. On behalf of ESF and our entire school district, thank you. You make a difference!

With gratitude,

  

Adam Friedman

Nancy Gordon

Edgemont School Foundation Co-Chairs