Provides funds for technology, music, trips
The nonprofit Haldane School Foundation, which raises funds to distribute for projects, announced its spring grants. They included $6,252 to purchase 18 iPads for the fourth grade; $5,250 for Think Ahead chess for grades 2 to 5; $4,107 for 30 calculators for high school math; $3,500 for Friends & Family University; $2,500 for a Model UN trip to the University of Connecticut; $2,500 for a foreign-language immersion trip; $1,977 for a U.S. History Flipped classroom for juniors; and $1,800 for Chef in the Classroom for grades K through 5.
The foundation also provided $1,500 for an elementary school musical; $1,250 for a River of Words poetry workshop for sixth graders; $1,000 for an AP Spanish trip to En El Tiempo de las Mariposas; $993 for cameras for grades 4 to 7; $800 for a fourth-grade trip to Monroe Village; $750 for a handwriting support club for fourth-graders; and $550 to create a wall of inspirational quotes.
Let me start off by acknowledging the great work that the Haldane School Foundation does for its school district. Its grants will undoubtedly improve the standard of education for many Haldane students for years to come. However, while admiring the foundation’s generosity, we should keep in mind that most school districts are not nearly as fortunate.
While the Beacon school district was lucky enough to receive funding for music and language, these programs were lacking. The programs that Haldane funded don’t exist in Beacon. Despite having a far smaller student body, Haldane students benefit mainly because they live in an area that is wealthier than Beacon.
That isn’t the only difference between the districts. Haldane’s student body is predominantly white, and Beacon’s is more culturally diverse.
Are we doing our minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students wrong? Why should those fortunate to live within the bounds of an amazing school district like Haldane receive a better education than those who don’t?
Although the Haldane grants are generous, they are the epitome of the inequality that exists between the village and its neighbors. Aren’t these grants, awarded to a wealthy school district from a wealthy neighborhood, another example of the rich getting richer, while the poor get sore?