INFORMATION FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

Gifts and Donations

                                                                                                            December, 2007

 

We appreciate the many ways that people contribute to the school district through supplies and materials for their own students and through the many fundraisers sponsored by the schools. The business community is tremendously generous of our school system needs. Understanding the desire of parents/guardians to recognize and thank teachers and other district employees who contribute to the education of their children; I share the following information.

 

1. All district employees must abide by the conflict of interest laws for municipal employees outlined in M.G.L. c.268A. Specifically, M.G.L. c268A Section 3 (a) prohibits anyone from giving anything of substantial value to a present or former municipal employee for or because of any official act performed by the employee. Thus, gifts to employees of the school district should be small, token gifts or appreciation and must follow these guidelines.

Note: The Massachusetts Ethics Commission has ruled that the value of a gift may not be divided by the number of contributors. The limit on the actual value of the gift may not exceed $50.00.

 

2. Financial and equipment gifts are gratefully appreciated by our schools if they can be used to advance curriculum and other needs of the district. Financial gifts can be made for specific purposes and are set up by the District Accountant as a gift account. Sizeable donations which are given for tax purposes can be recognized through the administrative offices with a letter of donation. Often times, particularly noteworthy contributions are recognized by the School Committee at the beginning of regularly scheduled meetings.

 

3. Equipment donations need to be considered in line with the curriculum objectives being addressed. Some gifts, even though well meaning, may have to be turned away if they do not meet the necessary criteria or would require repair or upgrading. This is often true of computer equipment.

 

4. I am encouraging the school principals to let the needs of the building be known in case individuals and/or groups of people wish to help our school program. Many schools have donations for library and reference books which are made in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, special teachers, and other important events. These books need to be purchased off lists maintained by school library personnel to insure that we are able to secure needed materials. Often times through various school library consortiums we are able to purchase books at a much reduced rate. A donation emblem is placed in the front cover of all books.

 

5. Many businesses, large and small, are willing to be part of the improvement process for their local educational system. It seems most effective when a critical mass of employees from a particular town, or in our case the region, are able to work with their donations or community outreach departments to secure necessary materials for funding.

 

6. Many local businesses and corporations will match donations to charities such as schools. On the backside is a partial list of employers in our area who participate in matching gift programs. If you do not see your company on this list, please check with your human resources office to see if your employer participates.

 

 

3Com Corp.

A.M. Transportation Services, Inc.

Aspect

AT&T

Avon Products

Bay Networks, Inc.

Bellcore

Bemis Associates Inc.

Boston Edison

Boston Globe

Charles River Labs, Inc.

Charles Schwab Corp.

Circuit City

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Compaq

Data Instruments, Inc.

Eastern Mountain Sports

Exxon Mobil

Fidelity Foundation

Fleet Boston

 

 

John Hancock Mutual Life

Home Depot

Houghton Mifflin Co.

IBM

Jostens Foundation

Merck Co.

Millipore

Monsanto

NE Business Service, Inc.

Nortel Networks, Inc.

Pepsico

Polaroid

Raytheon Co.

Reebock

Rohm & Hass

Sara Lee

Sony Corp. of America

Stride Rite

Sun Microsystems

TRW

United Technologies