Ironwood district looks to establish foundation, plan meeting for July 30

IRONWOOD — The leaders of the Ironwood Area Schools are looking for members of the community interested in joining a foundation being created later this summer that will be affiliated with the district, with an informational meeting about the effort set for July 30.

The foundation would be similar to the Hurley Education Foundation and provide a way for alumni and families to make donations to help the district purchase items that aren’t feasible to include in Ironwood’s annual budget.

“This would supplement (the district’s annual budget), for the extras,” said Clancey Byrne, the vice president of the Ironwood School Board and one of the those involved in the preliminary work to get the foundation started. “You look at it, a school budget is paying for all the basics but there’s nothing to move forward — upgrading technology, expanding facilities — things of that sort. Especially in Michigan, with the way we fund public schools, every dime is already used by the time we get it. So that next-level stuff is very difficult to get to.

“The education foundation helps supplement and add additional services all the students could benefit from,” he said.

Byrne said he envisions the July 30 meeting, which is planned for 6 p.m. at the Luther L. Wright K-12 School, as an opportunity to not only lay out the vision for the foundation but also recruit members interested in becoming involved.

“(The meeting will be about) what’s our hope, where we’re looking to go with this and look for community members willing to step up for the next steps,” Byrne said.

With the process of establishing the foundation as a non-profit organization already underway, Byrne said he would ideally like to see the foundation’s first meeting be held in August.

“There’s no time but now to get up and running, we want to coincide with the school year,” he said.

As the foundation has yet to adopt bylaws, Byrne said there are currently no restrictions on who can serve on the foundation’s board.

Byrne made clear the goal isn’t the replacement of the existing Ironwood Area Scholarship Foundation, which was founded in the early 2000s — but rather providing another option for those connected with the school district interested in giving back.

“(The scholarship foundation) is fantastic, it’s a really great way for alumnus to give back. This is not to replace that, it’s simply a change to what people can make donations to,” Byrne said.

“The scholarship foundation is fantastic for when our students are leaving the school and they’re going out into the world,” he continued. “However, this would be, ‘How do we help the kids while they’re here, before they leave?’ So it gives more of an option for our alumnus that want to give back.”

The foundation is intended to be separate from the district’s school board, according to Byrne, as it’s not intended to replace normal district spending.

Among the examples Byrne gave of items the foundation could possibly pursue funding were projectors and other accessories to enhance the use of the district’s Chromebooks and renovations to the school’s bleachers.

Ultimately, it will be up to the foundation’s board to decide what purchases to pursue.

With no apparent pot of money available to launch the foundation, one of the group’s first priorities will undoubtedly be fundraising.

Byrne realizes it’s unrealistic to expect the foundation to raise large amounts of money right off the bat, but said even a couple thousand dollars a year would go a long way to enhancing the education the district provides.

While the foundation may be limited in what it can initially accomplish, Byrne said the goal is all about helping the district move forward.

“The school has been there (since the 1920s) and everyone has memories of how it’s been. This is about how do you make what the memories look like going forward,” Byrne said. “The hope is whatever this group does, whatever the money is used on, it’s to benefit every kid as a whole. … This would be a resource that benefits all the kids at once.”

Anyone with questions about the July meeting can contact Ironwood Superintendent Travis Powell at travis.powell@ironwood.k12.mi.us or Byrne at clancey.byrne@ironwood.k12.mi.us.