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Board accepts PTC donations to furnish Sachs cafeteria lobby, fund 8th-grade bash and a $5,000 community grant
Summary
The New Canaan Board of Education accepted a PTC donation to furnish three high-traffic bays outside the Sachs cafeteria (presented at roughly $59,000), approved funding for the Sachs Middle School 8th-grade bash, and accepted a $5,000 grant from the New Canaan Community Foundation for follow-up programming to a Lenor Skinazi presentation.
The New Canaan Board of Education on Dec. 1 accepted several school-related donations, approving furniture to improve seating outside the Sachs cafeteria, funding for the Sachs Middle School eighth-grade bash, and a $5,000 grant to support a recent student-development presentation.
Sally Vanam, co-president of the Sachs PTC, told the board the PTC’s Celebrate Sachs fundraising campaign targeted three bays adjacent to the cafeteria that are currently used as a drop zone for jackets and lunch bags. Vanam said the PTC identified an educational-furniture vendor (Myen) and showed renderings of café tables, bench seating and a high-top table with stools intended to create a quieter gathering space for students. "The total price for the three bays is a little over $59,000," Vanam said, adding that delivery is included and that maintenance staff would handle assembly.
Board members asked practical questions before voting. Erica asked whether the furniture would be mobile; Vanam said pieces would offer some flexibility but be lockable so students could not move them freely. Hugo asked about the proximity of seating to nearby electrical cabinets; staff said the cabinets are secure lockable units and the furniture layout would ensure safe separation.
A motion to accept the Sachs PTC donation for furniture was made and seconded; the chair called the vote unanimous on the record.
The PTC also sought support for the Sachs Middle School eighth-grade bash, planned for June 10 (rain date June 11) and to be produced by James Daniel Entertainment. Speakers described a one-vendor approach that provides a DJ and a range of games and activities; the discussion included several transcriptized cost figures (the presentation referenced a DJ cost read as "7,20" and "over $5,000" in different places). The board moved to accept a donation of $9,998 to cover the event; the chair recorded the vote as unanimous.
Later in the meeting administration announced that the New Canaan Community Foundation had donated $5,000 to help defray costs of a Lenor Skinazi presentation for faculty and a subsequent 7 p.m. public session. The board voted to accept the foundation grant.
The donations and grant were presented as district-supporting activities: the furniture project was positioned as an investment in student spaces adjacent to the cafeteria, the eighth-grade bash as a customary end-of-year celebration, and the Skinazi program as professional development and community programming.
What’s next: maintenance staff will assemble the furniture after delivery, and the PTC and administration said they plan a second-phase storage solution to accommodate backpacks. The motions to accept the donations and the grant were approved as recorded in the meeting transcript.
