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Williams Evans trustees give $10,000 to Spalding High to support student food programs
Summary
Trustees of the Williams Evans trust told the Rochester School Board they are donating $10,000 to Spalding High School for lunch vouchers, the school food pantry and a compassion closet; trustees also briefed the board on $2 million in scholarship funds the trust manages.
Trustees of the Williams Evans trust told the Rochester School Board on March 13 that they will give Spalding High School $10,000 to help address student food insecurity.
The trustees — identified in the meeting as Matthew, Brett and Jerry — said the $10,000 stems from a bequest in William Evans’ 1933 will and will be distributed to Spalding in three parts: $6,000 for student lunch vouchers, $1,000 for the school food pantry and $3,000 for the school’s compassion closet. “We are giving $10,000 to Spalding High School to help fight food insecurity,” Matthew said during the presentation.
The trustees also briefed the board on scholarship programs the trust administers. They said the trust holds about $2 million in scholarship endowments and distributes roughly $40,000 annually to Spalding students through a school-run scholarship committee. Trustees asked the board whether it has plans to use a separate capital reserve fund the trustees hold — a line item the trustees identified as having a current balance of about $48,000 and income of about $23,000 — so the trustees can determine an appropriate investment horizon.
Board members suggested the trustees meet with the operations committee to discuss long-range plans for the capital reserve fund. Trustee Matthew agreed to coordinate with district staff to schedule that meeting.
The trustees presented a check to district staff during the meeting. Board members thanked the trustees for the gift and for managing long-standing donor endowments dating back more than a century.
What the board approved and next steps The donation was presented to the board and handed to district staff during the meeting; no separate board vote was recorded on the gift during the public session. Trustees asked for committee-level discussion about the capital reserve fund so they can advise their investment manager on the appropriate time frame for investing the $48,000 balance.
Why it matters The donation provides immediate, targeted support for students experiencing food insecurity and highlights ongoing private support for scholarships and district capital reserves. The trustees’ request for planning information signals a potential future decision about deploying the capital reserve fund that could affect district facility spending or other capital projects.
Ending District staff agreed to follow up with the trustees to schedule an operations committee meeting to further discuss the capital reserve fund and the trustees’ investment planning.
