Summit Educational Foundation awards $260,809 in spring grants to Summit Public Schools

The Summit Educational Foundation awarded $260,809 in spring 2025 grants to Summit Public Schools, the foundation’s representatives told the Board of Education during the May 13 reorganization meeting, and the board voted to accept the awards.

The grants cover 26 projects across all nine schools and span four district priorities: social-emotional learning and culturally inclusive programs; learning-through-innovation and language arts; STEAM; and learning-environment improvements. "We are pleased to announce Summit Educational Foundation is awarding $260,809 to Summit Public Schools for the spring 2025 grant cycle," Susan Daniel, who led the SCF grants effort, said during the presentation.

The foundation highlighted several awards in the social-emotional learning category, including funding for in-person dignity consultant training for 32 principals and administrators and music therapy for ABA and preschool classrooms. The foundation also approved a one-year Rosetta Stone license to support English learners at the high school and funding to expand the Panorama platform districtwide for attendance, behavior and academic-data tracking.

In STEAM, grants include furniture and prototyping equipment to finish the LCJ Middle School makerspace and video production upgrades; VEX IQ robotics kits; a CO2 dragster racetrack for an eighth-grade elective; funding for Science Olympiad participation; a biotechnology research program at Summit High School with researcher partnerships; and the GLOBE environmental science program. Learning-environment awards include an adaptive low-height rock-climbing wall for Wilson Primary Center and adjustable desks and stools for Washington School’s inclusion classroom.

Board members asked questions about the Panorama expansion and future recurring costs. "Is that expansion on an annualized basis?" a board member asked. Business Administrator Derek Jess said the Panorama contract is annual and that the expansion to include all grades increases the district cost; he agreed to provide a clearer annual-cost figure to the operations committee.

The Board approved acceptance of the grants after discussion. During roll call, board members recorded votes on the motion to accept the SEF spring grants; the meeting transcript also records the motion as "motion carries". The board meeting record contains a roll call vote associated with the motion (see provenance).

The foundation said that including this cycle, it has funded more than 2,000 grants totaling over $11.3 million to the district. The SEF emphasized that funds go directly to classroom programs and district initiatives.

The Board recognized the foundation for its ongoing partnership and noted the awards will be implemented in coming months through building administrators.