An education foundation can take various forms, but most are tax-exempt 501(c) 3 corporations organized separate and distinct from the municipal boards of education to raise funds and support programs that have been excluded from town budgets. Over the past twenty-five years thousands of communities across the country have established educational foundations with similar missions. There are over 90 established education foundations in Connecticut with many more in the organizing process.

Our fundraising activities seek private donations from concerned parents with students in the schools, as well as from any other member of the community. In addition, we welcome corporations, foundations, endowments, and other sources who are committed to excellence in education for our community to support our mission.

The Foundation has supported programs at all levels of our school distict, from pre-school through high school. Some have been programmatic, such as the “Buy a Book” reading enhancement at our elementary schools; technological, including the establishment of the Tagliatella Family Technology Lab at the middle school; as well as artistic, under which the Foundation purchased, by way of a personally designated grant, new instruments for the high school band worth thousands of dollars.

Education is truly the foundation for a diverse and successful community. Obviously, our work benefits the children in the system. However, a robust and successful educational system has a ripple effect to the greater community. Such a system helps create a knowledgeable and aware workforce, a creative and concerned employment base and, in a general sense, a network of residents who realize and appreciate the benefits that a strong educational system can have upon the community as a whole. As such, our programs and projects are designed as collaborative efforts to involve the broadest scope of our community.