In response to three years of budget constraints, many Norton residents are concerned about the quality of Norton public education and quite fearful of the consequences should cuts be made in future budgets. We are legally obligated to provide public education. We need to assure that the quality of the education offered will remain competitive and not become a last resort, only for people who cannot access private education. Norton is fortunate to have highly competent, dedicated teachers and staff and our schools have to date been successful even with the lowest per pupil expenditure in the state. However, cuts in staff and curriculum for the upcoming school year threaten to compromise the goals of our public education system in ways which many people in town are unaware.

In 2004 some concerned citizens established an educational advocacy group called NEED-Norton Embracing Educational Development. Its purpose is to make public the needs of the Norton Public Schools, to promote and support the development of programs and to encourage standards that are competitive with school systems in other communities in the commonwealth.

In August 1999, the Future Search Conference was held and attended by 60 members from various parts of the Norton community. After substantial research, they identified strategic objectives to be carried out through the years 2000-2005. They established statements of the Vision, Mission and the Goals of the Norton Public Schools. It is the objective of NEED to identify and advocate for the needs of our schools in relation to the agenda set forth in the Norton Public Schools Strategic Plan. The first task of NEED was to interview the principals of the five Norton Schools. The information gathered through these sessions was presented in local newspapers.

As in most small communities, we are all interconnected. NEED intends to evaluate the objectives of the school system in balance with the budgetary needs of other municipal departments and programs by discussing such issues with those in other departments in town.


To become involved, please contact NEED at NortonNEED@gmail.com.

 

NEED GRANT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE 

Norton Embracing Educational Development, Inc. (NEED) is proud to announce the official posting of its Grant Program. NEED is a non-profit community foundation chartered to fund innovative educational programs and/or technology for the Norton Public Schools.  Each year, NEED will award grants that make learning come alive for hundreds of public school students. 

NEED will fund grants for projects ranging from those that focus on traditional academic subjects, to others in the visual and performing arts, to science and technology, as well as to programs that promote multi-cultural and community learning experiences. The foundation encourages programs that enhance standard curriculum in order to benefit Norton Public School students.  However, NEED grants do not underwrite basic school budget items.   

The NEED Grant Review Committee will evaluate and prioritize applications received, and collectively determine which grants will be awarded.  Individual NEED grants shall not exceed $3500, however, the committee encourages collaborative funding and encourages applicants to seek partial or additional funding from other sources.  The total amount of funds distributed yearly will depend upon the success of NEED’s fundraising efforts.   

Recipients of NEED grants will be required to account for funds received and to briefly evaluate projects at their conclusion.  These evaluations will assist NEED in better understanding and supporting future projects.  For more information about grant opportunities, qualifying criteria, timeframe of the NEED Grant Cycle, or to download a grant application, please visit the website at www.NortonNEED.com.   Applications are also available at Superintendent Ansay’s office.  Further questions may be forwarded to NEED Grant Coordinator, Angel Doyle. The new email address is NortonNEED@gmail.com.  

Also new to NEED, and displayed on the website, is a logo designed by 1993 Norton High Graduate, Rebecca (Dennett) Leonard.  Becca credits her art teacher and biggest fan, Mrs. Gagnon, with opening her eyes to the world of art as a career.  Mrs. Gagnon guided Becca toward the Art Program at UMASS Dartmouth, for which Becca will forever be grateful.  She has enjoyed a successful career as a Graphic Artist for 10 years; a career that she says continues to evolve.  NEED would like to thank Becca for the generous donation of her time and talent.   

Current Norton Art students will soon have the opportunity to create their own masterpieces to help enhance their educations. NEED will be launching its Art for Education Fundraiser through WorldWise Education.  Student art will be used to decorate greeting cards, proceeds of which will help fund NEED’s next cycle of grants.   

ADVOCACY GROUP INCORPORATES TO ESTABLISH

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

In 2004, the educational advocacy group Norton Embracing Educational Development –NEED, was established in response to budget constraints resulting in reductions of supplies, staff and services.  With the generous and greatly appreciated efforts of Mike Karcis, E.S.Q., Norton Embracing Educational Development has incorporated as a tax-exempt organization thus establishing an Educational Foundation - NEED, Inc.  The Foundation will benefit the Norton Public Schools . 

NEED, Inc.’s mission is to make public the needs of the Norton Public Schools, to promote and support the development of educational programming, and to encourage standards which are competitive with other schools in the Commonwealth. 

The advocacy group initially outlined objectives in pursuit of its mission.  Goals include: to improve communication between various boards within the community, to create a data-base of concerned citizens who receive updates about the schools and important town issues, and to encourage proactive participation in our government.  To be added to this list please forward you name and email address to NortonNEED@yahoo.com.

NEED, Inc. set out to keep the community informed about the Norton Public Schools as outlined in the school’s strategic plan.  Of particular concern is the Norton Public Schools ’ goal to develop and maintain awareness of the community’s responsibility to provide resources necessary for a quality education.   NEED, Inc. maintains that the public must provide funding for basic educational staff, services, programs and supplies. 

With guidance and direction from Board member Dr. Patricia Ansay, Superintendent of the Norton Public Schools, NEED, Inc will begin raising money to fulfill its mission.  NEED, Inc. hopes to raise the bar on the expectations of our Public Schools by providing funding for special equipment and enrichment programs not provided for in the basic budget.    The students of Norton deserve the opportunity to gain the skills needed for success in a technology driven society.  

NEED, Inc kicks off its fundraising efforts with a Teacher Appreciation program.  For details, please visit www.NortonNEED.com. 

Future plans for the foundation include creating a Norton Public School Alumni Association.  Norton High School Graduates who are interested in assisting in this project are encouraged to contact us at the email address listed above. 

Kathy Voegtlin, NEED Co-Chair

 

Two years ago, a group of Norton parents concerned about the effects of Norton Public Schools’ budget constraints met throughout the summer at the Norton Community Playground. While the children played, we created NEED, at the time as an advocacy group.  We developed our Mission Statement as:

To make public the needs of the Norton Public Schools, to promote and support the development of educational programming, and to encourage standards which are competitive with school systems in other communities in the Commonwealth.

The group has spent much time disseminating information about the Norton Schools through email and by publishing in local papers information gathered in interviews we conducted with Norton principals about the needs of our schools. We have sponsored a Senior Reading program in which Norton seniors read to elementary students.  We have hosted activities at the YMCA during National Turn Off TV Week.  We also interviewed all the Norton Principals, the Technology Director and Curriculum Coordinator on Norton Cable’s Education Channel 98.

This past winter, NEED, Inc was granted 501C3 status.  We are now incorporated as a charitable organization and are able to accept tax-deductible donations and to raise funds for the Norton Public Schools. Please note that many companies match employee contributions to such organizations. 

NEED, Inc. is in the developmental stages of establishing an Educational Foundation to benefit the Norton Public Schools. With guidance of Board Member Dr. Patricia Ansay, Superintendent of Norton Public Schools, our goal is to raise funds that will be given to the schools to purchase special equipment and to support enrichment programs not provided for in the general budget. 

 We plan to distribute funds raised to teachers/administrators via small grant applications.  We are developing this application and the criteria to determine how best to distribute the funds to benefit the greatest number of students. 

Our maiden fundraiser was quite successful.  We held a Thank A Teacher Fundraiser.  For a donation of $5, families were invited to offer thanks to teachers by having their names listed as contributors on the Teacher Appreciation Certificates given to all the teachers in the Norton Public Schools. This program raised $4700 to establish an educational foundation and to be pooled with upcoming fundraising efforts for distribution through the above-mentioned grants.

Our newest fundraising partner is TheInkFund.com.  People and businesses can purchase laser printer toner or Inkjet print cartridges from TheInkFund.com and select NEED, Inc to receive 50% of the proceeds.   ...Inkjet Printer Cartridges

We plan to also develop an Alumni Association to raise funds, which benefit Norton High School.  NEED, Inc can provide its 501C3 status to the Alumni Association by somehow including it as a division of the overall organization.  Details of this arrangement need to be determined, preferably with input from Norton Alumni. With assistance from the Norton High School, data is being collected from former graduates. 

For more information, please visit our website at www.NortonNEED.com.  To become involved, please send and email to NortonNEED@gmail.com.  Donations are welcome and may be sent to

 Norton Embracing Education Development, Inc. (N.E.E.D.)
P.O. Box 227
Chartley, MA  02712

In light of recent events, the efforts of our organization are extremely important.  Volunteers are needed to fulfill our goals.  Please join us. 

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 29 from 7-9pm in the Norton Public Library Community Room

Group in Norton finds a NEED and fills it

By Rebecca Keister/Sun Chronicle Staff

NORTON -- To hear those deepest within its trenches tell the story, Norton is way behind -- say 20 years or so -- in its school fundraising plans.

`` A lot of towns jumped on the bandwagon way back,'' said Kathy Voegtlin, one of the founders of NEED, Norton Embracing Educational Development, which just recently received its nonprofit organization status. `` We're about 25 years behind everyone else.''
Or, maybe not. While some Massachusetts communities, including Franklin and Easton , have had education foundations in place since the mid-1980s, no other towns in the immediate area have, so far, followed suit.

Spend some time talking with Voegtlin and her partners, Gretchen Stalters and Angel Doyle, and the reason begins to make sense.

They're not talking about a parent-teacher organization or knocking on doors with candy bars or wrapping paper.

NEED strives to be what other groups such as the Franklin Education Foundation (FEF) have become -- a foundation that benefits the school system through grants, awarded by application and funded through corporate partnerships and donations, and large-scale and long-term fundraising endeavors.

`` We came out of the gate, just being the voice of the schools,'' Doyle, a member of the town's finance committee, said. `` Now we want to be productive. We started saying, let's get all the schools together and it started to become this entity.''

Education foundations are independent of the school systems they benefit; funds are not filtered through the town, superintendent or school board, as is the case with education funds in North Attleboro and Attleboro .

Rather than supplement the yearly budget, they mostly target special projects and large purchases.

The Foundation for Excellence in Education in Easton (FEEE) focuses on technology and has, since its inception in 1989, raised more than $400,000 for new computers and software.

`` We're grateful, and impressed that parents have come forward to do something,'' said School Committee Chairwoman Donna Gradie. `` I know what parents can do, and what they can accomplish. I think it's just wonderful.''

NEED isn't where it would like to be yet, but that doesn't mean the effort is missing; the founders say the problem now is man power.

Finding it, they say, has become even more important now that their fears about the schools' funding crisis have come true.

After a failed Proposition 2 1 / sub 2 override attempt, the school committee recently instituted user fees in order to keep sports programs alive. They will do little, if anything, however, for technology, textbook and curriculum advances.

`` They're looking to us to do something about it, which is fine,'' Doyle said, adding that most of the state's foundations were set up in direct response to fears about Prop 2 1 / sub 2. `` We're putting our money where our mouth is.''

`` But we can only reasonably do as much as we have adequate resources for,'' Voegtlin said. `` The three of us cannot sustain what's going on.''

Most education foundations are run by a board of directors, which often include representatives of their major corporate sponsors.

The trio say they would welcome that kind of leadership help, but for now are putting their efforts on the grant applications, so they can begin dispensing the $4,600 raised from NEED's inaugural fundraiser.

They also hope to establish an alumni association and start an annual giving account, following the example, as many education foundations do, of successful college fundraising drives.

Then, the focus will be on recruiting.

Stalters hopes that even those who voted against the override, especially parents, will pitch in.

`` This is a chance for something long term,'' she said. `` For a small group of people, it's a lot of time. People want to live in a town that's worthy and valuable, and everyone has to put into the pot.''

They're ready to educate about education
By Sarah Johnson/ Staff Writer
Friday, August 13, 2004

Nearly everyone in town has opinions about how the Norton school system should be run and how much money the town should dole out for its services. But residents may be basing their judgments on inaccurate assumptions or distorted statistics, according to a newly formed group that intends to educate people about education. The parents who started what they consider a grassroots organization in June, called Norton Embracing Educational Development (NEED), want to be the link between the schools, town government and taxpayers. "Our goal is to get people aware and be proactive rather than reactive," said member Kathy Voegtlin of Lincoln Street. Parents who are new to the Norton school system often learn about the town's drastic budget cuts when it's too late to protest or to try to make any changes, Voegtlin noted.
The group members, who also include Gretchen Stalters of Stonyfield Road and Ron Mollins of Todd Drive Extension, have met with the school principals and are considering how they can publicize themselves and get their messages out.
They may attend meetings of the parent and teacher organizations, site councils and School Committee, and they are thinking about how they could get local businesses involved to help their cause. They are also sending out e-mails and have set up a Yahoo e-mail account (NortonNEED@yahoo.com) to receive and send messages. Since earlier this year, town officials have been bandying the statistic that Norton is at the bottom in the state for per-pupil spending. NEED members want to dissect that number and give it context. They also want to explain to residents how cuts on one side of the town budget affect another. "People don't really understand the effects of cuts at the schools," Voegtlin said. With more information, people can make up their own minds and possibly effect change, she added. The group is also re-examining the town's five-year strategic plan for the schools, which was instituted in 2000, and plans to determine why Norton has not met some of the goals outlined in there. They will also look into helping the schools uphold their mission statements, such as the L.G. Nourse Elementary School's "small class size a system priority." Budget cuts and a tight budget in fiscal year 2005 that pulls $525,000 out of the town stabilization account are making those goals more difficult, and NEED is worried that damage to the school programs will be irreparable. The schools are strapped for supplies, and programs for arts and physical education are experiencing the worst of the cuts, the group members noted. Watching the back-and-forth over the budget allocations between the School Committee and Board of Selectmen earlier this year inspired the trio to form the group.

The high school often seems to get the short shrift because, by that point, parents have outgrown getting involved in the school system when their kids begin adolescence, the members said. For example, mothers often return to work when their kids enter their preteen years, leaving them without time to be active in the system, the members noted. And some parents send their children to private schools and subsequently turn their backs on the public schools.
"We can't take high school away as an option," said Voegtlin, who has 6-year-old and 8-year-old sons. "We don't want our schools to be only for people who can't afford private schools."

The group hopes Norton can find ways to get high-schoolers more involved with their community, as that can only help the town down the road when those students grow up and have kids in the system, noted Mollins, who has an 11-year-old and 14-year-old. NEED may look to other communities for ideas on how to accomplish that. Stalters, who has an 8-year-old and 4-year-old twins, said NEED is looking for members, including alumni and parents whose kids have graduated from the school system , as they may have helpful ideas. NEED will have to find a balance between the various departments and town groups whose influence affect the schools, members realize. "We want to benefit the students, but we want to do it in ways that also benefit the community," Voegtlin said.

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