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Cummings Foundation grant supports Medford CCSR program; committee approves program budget
Summary
The committee received an update on the Center for Citizenship & Social Responsibility (CCSR) grants and approved the program budget and associated staffing and stipend plans.
Medford School Committee members received an overview of the Center for Citizenship & Social Responsibility (CCSR) funding and approved the program budget and stipends at Monday’s meeting.
Richard Trotta, grant manager and director of the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility, told the committee that the Cummings Foundation has committed $460,000 (multi-year support) and that additional donors — including the Crystal Campbell Community Benefit Project — have contributed funds. Trotta described a multi-year budgeting approach that prioritizes faculty and staff stipends, mini-grants, instructional materials, enrichment activities and administrative support.
Trotta presented a projected annual operating budget for the program that the committee described in the meeting. Key figures Trotta provided: advisor stipends are $2,500 per advisor (with assistant advisors funded if student counts exceed 25–30); the budget line items include stipends, a district project coordinator, administrative support, mini-grants and operational supplies; the projected school-year budget discussed in the presentation was $35,000.
Committee members asked for annual reporting that shows actual spending against the budget and requested copies of the original grant award. Member Reinfeld urged that stipends remain aligned to the negotiated teachers’ contract. Trotta said the program typically carries a small surplus year-to-year that is rolled forward to maintain flexibility for larger projects.
Action: Member Ntapa moved approval of the CCSR donation/budget as presented; Member Brantley seconded. The motion passed by roll call (7 affirmative, 0 negative).
Why it matters: The CCSR program funds after-school project-based learning across Medford schools. Trotta said the program has supported thousands of students and more than 300 projects since 2013 and aims to develop leadership, empathy and civic engagement through student-led projects.
What’s next: Trotta will provide an end-of-year report comparing planned and actual spending; committee members asked for the original grant award language and any related contract documentation to be shared with the committee.
