HISTORY

Help improve instruction by supporting innovation and creative thinking about teaching and providing opportunities for teachers to improve their skills and practice

• SEF has approved over 192 Educational Grants since 2004, ranging from innovative reading programs to whiteboard technology in nearly every classroom, equipment for high school biology and robotics technology for the tech program in the middle and high schools.  SEF has provided grant to every school, grade, and department in the district.  The Foundation has funded over 98 Professional Development Grants and has built its support for Professional Development to $10,000 annually. Expenditures for Educational Grants and Professional Development for teachers and staff have totaled over $650,069 through 2023.

Create a simple, teacher-friendly grant process

• The grant application is one page and can be completed and submitted online.

Create a teacher centered process for grant distribution, giving teachers primary responsibility for initiating and implementing grants.

• The overwhelming majority of grants are initiated by teachers through applications and, when awarded, are implemented by teachers. Administrators sign off on the grant applications to make sure they are consistent with district, school, and department goals. Administrators have also participated by submitting grant applications.

Build an endowment of $250,000 by year ten (2014). 

• By 2014 the endowment was $310,000 and is now over $875,000.   Money from the endowment helps annually to underwrite the funding of grants.

The Somers Education Foundation was named the Best New Foundation of the Year by Connecticut Consortium of Education Foundations (CTCEF) in 2004 and Foundation of the Year in 2014. In 2014 there were 79 foundations in Connecticut.

     Paul grew up in Enfield.  He earned a BA in Chemistry from The College of The Holy Cross in 1976 and a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Connecticut.  He then lived in Texas for 6 years, initially in Austin working as a Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Texas (UT) and then earning an MD at Texas Tech in Lubbock.   While in Texas, he came aware of the Permanent University Fund (PUF) which provides very specific funding to UT and Texas A&M.  He learned about its formation (land grant in the 1880s), purpose and its success.  The major takeaways were that the land could never be sold and any profit created off the granted land could never be touched. Only a percentage of the income earned from the principle could be spent on capitol improvements, never on salaries or benefits. 
     After Texas, Paul spent 3 years at the Univ. of Arizona in Tucson for a pediatrics residency and then 3 years at Indiana Univ. Medical Center in Indianapolis for pulmonary fellowship.  While in Indiana, he traveled the state on scores of medical transports and again learned about Community Foundations in the smallest of towns and how they supported town libraries along the same concept as the PUF in Texas.  Today, he practices in the Springfield area as a pediatric pulmonologist.          

     Paul settled in Somers in 1994 with his wife Ann and 3 children who successfully graduated from the Somers school system.  Paul had an idea for creating what has become the Somers Education Foundation based on what he had seen in Texas and Indiana, to supplement the public school system for projects that wouldn’t be funded through its usual budgeting process.  Paul proposed the structure, its permanent endowment concept and the first-10-year financial plan which was to award 50% of whatever money came in per year and the other 50% going to build the endowment which was invested in a broad spectrum of mutual funds.  After the first 10 years, the endowment would be tapped for no more than 4% of a rolling 5-year average.  He started presenting the concept to groups in Somers in 1996.  However, it wasn’t until he met Lou Bachetti in 2002 that the SEF became a reality.   

     Paul was encouraged by friends to present his idea to the Community Partnership Council of which Lou was Chairman.  Paul pitched the concept, structure and financial plan.  Lou immediately grasped the idea and its potential and signed on to make it happen.  The two became a team.     

     Other folks who contributed to the formation include Dan Roulier, Evan Plotkin, Tim Keeney, Tom Mazzoli, Mike Parker, Terri Henderson, Amanda Vesce, Kathy Devlin, Zanis Gazis and Mark Maniscalco.  Many, many meetings on the formation were held in people’s kitchens, at the Warming House at Worthington Pond Farm and Gardens and anywhere else they could find.  Many long hours were spent figuring out how the foundation should work and in setting goals.    

     The group agreed on the following organizational basics:  

• All positions are voluntary – no salaries are paid
• No voting Board Member can hold a publicly elected office anywhere or draw a paycheck from the Somers Public School System.
• The BOD will consist of 9 members.  Advisors and Ex-Officio Members can be added as needed but do not have voting rights.  Advisors and Ex-Officio members are sought for  expertise and experience in related topics of interest.  An example would be the Superintendent of Schools who is a SEF Ex-Officio member (i.e. cannot vote) but can advise SEF on goals, mission, and so forth of the school district.

     In early 2004, the original Board Members were sworn in by Town Clerk, Ann Logan at a ceremony in the Warming House at Worthington Pond and Gardens and the Somers Education Foundation officially came into being.  When asked about his idea, Paul is very modest and puts the project in these terms: “I built the skeleton and Lou put the meat on the bones.”  

      After the formation of the non-profit, it was time to figure out how SEF was to build its cash reserve.  SEF wanted to be sure that there were always funds for awarding of deserving projects and supplies even if they had a year of high expenses or lower donation levels.  An endowment assures financial bedrock for the organization.   

     Funds were raised to start this financial base through donations and fundraising events.   The founders decided that the awarded funds were to be only a certain percentage of the interest earned on these funds.  That way, the endowment would always be there and always earning interest. 
      One of the original cornerstones of the Somers Education Foundation was to build an endowment of sufficient size to allow it to grant awards every year regardless of the state of the general economy.  The plan was to grant 50% of its income yearly and use the other 50% to pay expenses and build an investment portfolio.  The first ten-year goal was to have $250,000 in the endowment.  The SEF has been successful in meeting its goals – both of providing funds to the schools and building its endowment.  The endowment growth goal was actually exceeded!  The SEF had $310,000 in its endowment on its tenth birthday on 6/30/2014.
      The SEF was started in 2004 with generous gifts from its original Board Members, allowing it to award $5,900 in grants in its first year.  The endowment has grown in subsequent years through community fundraising events and investment.  
     The first ten years were used to build the endowment.  Since then the endowment has been actively used to support grants and awards employing “The Prudent Man Rule” of minimizing risk.  We exercise this caution by never taking more than 4% per year from it.  The endowment funds will be used exclusively for grants and awards and not Foundation expenses.