Mission & History

The Skaneateles Education Foundation (SEF) is a non-profit organization (501(c)3) of dedicated parents, teachers, residents, and alumni who help engage the community, enrich the curriculum, inspire educational innovation, and create possibilities for students and teachers in the Skaneateles Central School District—above and beyond state and local funding.  SEF is a conduit for community investment and thought leadership, funding new opportunities for pilot curricular development, instructional methodologies, innovative programs, and capital investments.

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A combination of local tax assessments and state aid finances the district. Due partly to declining enrollment and rocketing property assessments, Skaneateles receives less and less state aid resulting in fewer dollars to assure a continued standard of excellence in our schools. This dynamic underscores the importance of the public-private partnership SEF provides as the fundraising arm for the district in the community.

 

Programs and initiatives supported by SEF span all academic disciplines and grade levels. Categories of support include student programs, staff and curriculum development, capital equipment and technology, and guest speakers and performers. Funding for SEF means funding for academic excellence and enriched curricula in the areas of STEM, The Arts, Humanities, and Wellness.  Since its inception, SEF has provided more than $500,000 to the Skaneateles Central School District.
 

A Brief History

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The organization that was incorporated and granted non-profit status in 2007, and convened its first meeting in November 2008. At the time it was called the Skaneateles Extended Learning Fund (SELF), receiving seed funding gifts from the SCS Class of 1951 and its founders. A seed grant from the Allyn Foundation provided funding to employ a part-time Executive Director for the first two years in 2008 and 2009. The original impetus of the fund was to support students demonstrating extenuating circumstances and need. In 2009, changes to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) related to strict de-identified student data made the process of adjudicating student grant requests unmanageable. The foundation board approved new bylaws, a new mission statement, changed its name to Skaneateles Education Foundation (SEF), launched a website, and mailed its first Annual Appeal to the community. From this point forward, SEF’s philosophy would be about enabling innovation in our schools, and ensuring educational excellence for every student in our community.