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Box Elder School Foundation approves teacher grants, funds USU summer program and sets 50/50 policy for future proceeds
Summary
At its meeting, the Box Elder School Foundation approved roughly $9,900 in teacher grants, voted to fund a Utah State University summer science program with $4,500 from unrestricted funds and adopted a policy to split future unrestricted proceeds 50% for student health and wellness and 50% for the arts.
The Box Elder School Foundation voted to approve teacher funding requests and to allocate $4,500 from unrestricted funds for the Utah State University summer science program, and adopted a new policy to divide future unrestricted proceeds evenly between student health and wellness and arts programming.
Board members reported that the foundation received about $10,000 in available funds for a second and final round of teacher requests and approved approximately $9,900 for classroom grants. "Fiscal discipline is a great thing," Linda, the foundation chair, said while noting the foundation aims not to spend beyond available balances. The board noted the approvals leave roughly $11,000 in unrestricted funds going into the next fiscal year after accounting for planned commitments.
A separate motion to fund the USU summer science camp followed. A member moved to approve $4,500 from the foundation's unrestricted funds to support the program; the motion was seconded and approved. Board discussion noted a sponsor who typically supports that program and that the funding will reduce the foundation's available unrestricted balance to about $11,000.
Later in the meeting, members raised concerns that certain restricted donations—scholarships, STEM-designated funds and wellness money—cannot be reallocated and that some scholarships have gone unused. That context framed a formal motion to set a policy for future unrestricted proceeds: 50% allocated to student health and wellness and 50% to arts-related programming, including foundation-sponsored concerts and workshops. The motion was seconded by Tom and carried by the board.
Board members described this approach as a way to balance long-running arts commitments with growing calls to invest in student wellness. One member said the split could be adjusted later "if the teen center becomes a reality," indicating the measure is intended to be flexible as needs evolve.
What happens next: the board will apply the new 50/50 policy to future unrestricted proceeds. Several members said staff will continue seeking grants and other revenue sources to avoid drawing down restricted funds, and the foundation expects to circulate details about the policy and next steps to members before the next meeting.
