Severance board awards $2,500 to launch Severance High student store

The Severance Town Board approved a $2,500 community grant on a roll-call vote Tuesday to help Severance High School launch a school-based enterprise, a campus store run by students that organizers said will provide hands-on learning and generate revenue for student programs. The board voted in favor after a presentation from the school’s business teacher and remarks from students who helped design the plan.

The request asked for $2,000; the board voted to increase the award to $2,500. The store’s advisor, Lee Oldenburg, said the funding will cover start‑up costs including a point‑of‑sale system, racks and initial inventory. “We need a point of sale system for the store,” Oldenburg said, adding that the project is intended as a work‑based learning lab as well as a retail outlet.

Board members said the grant comes from the town’s community grant pool; staff noted about $21,000 remained available and that three $500 grants were still on the table. The board discussed whether to increase the award above the amount requested and ultimately approved $2,500 in a motion and roll‑call vote.

Oldenburg told the board the enterprise will start small from an 8‑by‑8 space off the cafeteria and involve multiple career and technical education programs: “Welding could make items for us to sell. Life management kids could make apparel. Construction management could create things for us to sell,” he said. He said the SBE concept will also help fund DECA, FCCLA and other student organizations that have faced budget shortfalls.

Two student presenters described survey results they collected to gauge demand and how the store would increase student involvement and school spirit. One student said freshmen particularly lack school spirit and that an on‑campus store would “give them that.” Students and Oldenburg said the store would operate as a learning lab during school hours and as a retail outlet during events such as athletic games; Oldenburg estimated an initial staffing cohort of roughly 20–25 students once the store is established.

Board members asked operational questions about product mix, vendor contracts and whether the store would compete with existing vending and concession agreements. Oldenburg said the school is still clarifying vendor contracts and that many vending machines were underutilized; students expressed strong demand for drinks and quick food items during short lunch periods. Oldenburg also said the planned point‑of‑sale would be an iPad‑based Square system to support card payments and basic accounting.

The board asked whether the school would seek additional funding sources and Oldenburg said the $2,000 was an initial ask and the school will pursue sponsorships and donations for ongoing needs. Staff explained the town’s grant follow‑up practices: first‑time grantees typically are not asked for detailed financial reporting unless they return for additional funding, at which point financials and evidence of prior use are expected.

The board requested to be invited to the SBE launch and asked the school to provide updates; Oldenburg agreed to keep staff and board members informed and to provide evidence of use of grant funds. The vote passed on a roll call with the board approving the $2,500 award.

The store remains a pilot project pending operational decisions about vendor contracts, school scheduling constraints and final start‑up costs; the school seeks to begin operations in phases once initial equipment and inventory are secured.