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Board discusses expanding Mulcrone scholarship to middle school, lowers application barriers
Summary
Board members agreed to open the Judy Mulcrone scholarship to all current middle-school students (grades 6–8), drop GPA as a required filter, allow video or written submissions, and cap individual awards at $500 with a preliminary overall cap of $6,000.
Board members reviewed the Judy Mulcrone scholarship and agreed to broaden eligibility and lower application barriers to increase access.
The board discussed last year’s disbursements (12 students, $3,600 in 2023–24; $4,000 in 2022–23) and noted the fund balance has historically not been fully spent. Members favored allowing current Evergreen Park middle-school students (grades 6–8) to apply rather than limiting the award to eighth graders only.
Board members also agreed that GPA should not be a deciding criterion and that applicants should be able to submit either a short (1–2 minute) video or a written application to reduce friction for students who are not comfortable writing. The board suggested application prompts focus on leadership, service and community involvement — the original intent of the Mulcrone award — and discussed connecting the award to PBIS character traits and Special Olympics involvement.
On award size, members proposed asking applicants for a requested amount while setting a single-student cap; the board settled on a preliminary cap of $500 per recipient and discussed an overall annual program cap of $6,000 to begin, subject to revision. Members also supported publicly recognizing scholars on a hallway display near the gym.
The board asked district staff to draft application materials and an online submission process (video uploads or written forms) and to circulate the draft to board members for review. Staff targeted publishing the application materials in March and aiming to have awards confirmed before families make summer-program decisions.
Ending: The board asked staff to return with a finalized application and timeline for distribution and awards. No formal vote was taken on these design decisions; staff will implement the agreed direction and present the final application for board review.
