Foundation for SPS raises $246K for district

The Foundation for Springfield Public Schools yesterday awarded the district $246,370 through its back-to-school grant program.

During the day, 30 foundation volunteers went to 43 Springfield Public Schools locations to make 100 grant deliveries to teachers, librarians and principals. The grant round focuses on six areas: student experience, modern learning environments, classroom projects, community engagement, professional development and Reading Roundup, which provides new books to libraries, according to a news release.

"Through each of the six categories, teachers and librarians were rewarded for their efforts to support their students' academic achievements,” said Foundation President-elect Matt Simpson, co-founder of Five Pound Apparel LLC, in the release. “Each of these individuals goes above and beyond the call of duty to seek additional funding for their projects, and we applaud their efforts."

The three largest grant awards were $5,088 for a “zen classroom” at Hickory Hills, $5,000 for professional cinematography equipment at Kickapoo and $5,000 for robotics equipment at Central. The nine-page list of supported projects can be viewed at SupportSPS.org.