Philanthropy Ensures Quality in Education

By BESS FREEDLANDER LANGBEIN for The Capital

Not a parent yet, the first day of school went largely unnoticed for me. Except for the yellow school buses, which conspicuously mark the end of summer, last Monday, August 25th was an ordinary day. However, for 74,000 local kids who attend public schools in Anne Arundel County- and their parents – last Monday was much anticipated, filled with hope and apprehension.

Since May, we have heard about the debates between County Executive John Leopold, the County Council and Superintendent Kevin Maxwell regarding the county’s contribution to the education budget. The clear message for me was that even with funding from the county (Anne Arundel County Public Schools consists of 49.9% of the FY09 budget), as well as the state and federal governments, the public school system cannot thrive without support from other sources.

As Bob Mosier, school spokesman, said, “No public school system is great by itself. We need partnerships with our parents, the community and the business community.” It takes both public and private resources, both financial and human, to ensure that we have one of the best public school systems in the country.

For those of us not directly connected to the public school system, and for many who are, we often do not think of the public schools when making our charitable contributions. In most cases, a gift to public schools is tax-deductible. Why is it important for all of us to support our public schools?

“These students will be the workforce of tomorrow”, said Lois Kleinhenn Lanier, executive director of the 21st Century Foundation and chief development officer of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS).

Mr. Mosier explained, “The business community has a particular stake in our public schools. They have a stake in ensuring that our students will be ready to be their employees in the future.”

Mark Powell, CEO of Sidus Group, headquartered in Annapolis and which provides web design and date services, is committed to supporting the public school system. He strongly believes in public schools, knowing that the quality of his employees is directly linked to the quality of the education they receive.

In addition to serving on the board of the 21st Century Foundation, whose mission is to enhance the public school system by matching the resources of the business community with needs, Mr. Powell personally contributes tens of thousands of dollars and in- kind support to our local public schools. For more information about the 21st Century Foundation, call 410-222-2908.

And the benefits for him are tangible and immediate as he regularly hires interns from local high schools. “For the last two years, we have proudly been the corporate sponsor for the Anne Arundel County Computer Science Competition. Last year, I met a young man through the competition, a senior at Broadneck High School in Arnold, who joined our staff as an intern and is going to stay on while in college.”

Many local companies as well as civic and faith-based organizations, are giving back to our public school system. Many are giving monetary and in-kind donations; examples are ARINC, Junior League of Annapolis and Severna Park United Methodist Church, which donated backpacks, and the Anne Arundel County Bar Association, which donated $4,500 toward the purchase of backpacks and supplies. The Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) magnet programs at Fort Meade and North County high schools have attracted the support of local engineering and technology firms and major corporations like Northrop Grumman, which has donated employee time to work with students and train teachers.

At the Community Foundation we have a number of individuals who have established scholarship funds to benefit students at our public high schools who are going to college. We are encouraging donors to consider funds that directly support teachers who need supplies, new programs like STEM and the arts magnet program at Bates Middle School.

It is important that we all get involved with the public schools system, whether it is as a donor, volunteer or activist. The future of our public school system and the strength of our community are inextricably linked.

As Derek Bok, former president of Harvard University, said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

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Bess Freedlander Langbein is the Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County. For more information about the Community Foundation, please visit www.cfaac.org. {Corrections:} {Status:}

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