Daily Independent (Ashland, KY)

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September 8, 2012

Fewer projects to get AEG funding

Contributions down to education resource

Mike James The Independent

ASHLAND — Social studies teacher Jeff Fletcher is proud of two projects his students have done at Fairview High School.

In one of them, the students research the Nazi Holocaust and turn their research into digital movie presentations. In the other, they create a memorial to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Much of the materials for the projects, including electronic equipment and display articles, he buys using money from Area Education Grants.

Fletcher is one of many teachers in Boyd and Greenup counties who have turned to AEG to fund educational projects. A fund of the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, AEG funded 27 projects in the 2008-2009 school year with mini-grants of up to $500, for a total of $12,280. But in 2009-2010, out of more than 60 applications, only 17 were funded.

And the outlook is worse.

This year, 14 projects will be funded, said project coordinator Bob Owen, because contributions to AEG have slowed significantly.

That is a cause of concern to teachers like Fletcher, who feel the financial squeeze from every direction. “State funding for education has gone down as well,” he said. “Teachers either buy supplies out of their own pockets or depend on grants.”

Formed in the early 1980s, AEG has helped virtually every school in Boyd and Greenup counties, including Holy Family and Rose Hill Christian, Owen said. Its all-volunteer board reviews grant applications every year and makes its decisions based on their assessment of each project’s educational value and how many students will benefit.

Owen blamed the recession economy for the contribution dropoff. Both corporate and individual contributions have dipped. Currently individual contributions outweigh the corporate, he said.

AEG has never had the advantage of a single deep-pocketed contributor, relying instead on small amounts from many patrons. “We’ve never had a corporation carry us, and our biggest single contribution was $6,000 from an individual,” he said.

To make sure the grants effectively enhance learning, board members visit every project, he said.

This year, the board will focus its grants on projects that address health and the obesity issues endemic in Appalachia. “Our emphasis is on what the community needs,” he said.

Teachers seeking the grants have created high quality projects, said AEG chairwoman Sarah Diamond Burroway in an email. “Their resourcefulness and creativity only enhance learning for students in Boyd and Greenup counties.

“Sometimes the teachers only need a few hundred dollars to develop a learning opportunity that impacts students in a variety of disciplines.  The thing that has impressed me most is how these teachers use the AEG classroom grants to inspire children to learn.

 “In a time when education budgets are tighter than ever and teachers are being asked to do more with less, Area Education Grants helps provide fresh resources for learning in our local pre-K through 12 classrooms.”

Donors may send their tax-deductible contributions to Area Education Grants, care of Foundation for the Tri-State Community, P.O. Box 2096, Ashland Ky., 41105.

Board members are available to speak to civic and service groups about the AEG mission.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.

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