Excellence 4 Dexter Students and the Educational Foundation of Dexter are proud to announce a new partnership, beginning in May 2020. The merged organization will together carry forward the missions and values of both entities under the Educational Foundation of Dexter’s name, with “Excellence for Dexter Students” as the guiding principle. They are excited to unite the skill sets and volunteer energy of their committed board members and feel confident that this alignment will allow them to expand their support of excellence in the Dexter Community School District community.
The Educational Foundation of Dexter (EFD) was formed in 1984 to support educational enrichment for students enrolled in the Dexter Community School District. EFD provides financial support for innovative and creative educational projects through teacher-written grants. EFD has awarded over $900,000 since 1985, and funding has reached every campus in our district. Examples of grants EFD has funded include Adapted Music for Students with Special Needs, the Charles H. Wright museum field trip for the 5th grade, equipment to support the Iron Dread program at Dexter High School and Virtual Reality Headsets for the entire district.
Excellence 4 Dexter Students (E4DS) was formed in 2015 in response to a pattern of annual budget cuts due to multiple years of state funding level decreases. Notable changes within Dexter due to those funding decreases included a move to single-tier bus runs, larger class sizes and reduced staffing, and an evaluation of the benefits of annexing the Whitmore Lake school district. E4DS’s mission was to generate revenue that would fund teachers and programs that would have been funded by the district if it were able. Since 2016, E4DS has donated $182,000 to DCS for additional programming. E4DS donations have supported the district’s focus on mental wellness for students and staff in all grades, additional math and science programming in grades 3-6, as well as an Eastern Michigan experience for several classes of sixth graders.
The Educational Foundation of Dexter and Excellence 4 Dexter Students believe that their collaboration will allow them to strengthen their educational roots as a community. Their goal is to have a strong, united presence in town – an organization that inspires everyone to support excellence in education by contributing, at a donation level where they are comfortable, to the educational cause that inspires their passion. The structure of the organization will allow donors to specify how their donated funds are spent – whether giving to “where it’s needed most,” funding large district initiatives, or supporting teacher grants. Funds raised before the May 2020 merger will be directed to the original purpose in honor of donor requests.
Superintendent Chris Timmis added: “Dexter students are fortunate to live in a community committed to education. This partnership will increase the collective power of these dedicated supporters for everyone’s benefit.”
