Crete Public Schools Trust Fund
by Kyle McGowan, Superintendent
Approximately 19 years ago, the School Board and then superintendent, Dr. Jody Isernhagen had the foresight to create the Crete Public Schools Trust, Inc. The nonprofit, tax exempt organization was formed for the sole purpose of providing improved educational opportunities which would benefit students and staff.
A twelve member Board of Directors as well as two non-voting participants, the Superintendent and Business Manager, are responsible for managing and distributing monies. Often times, contributors identify specific uses for their donations. The most common request is to establish scholarship opportunities. The Trust Board annually distributes over 45 scholarships to graduating seniors. An additional annual event is for staff members to submit grants or requests to the Board of Directors for innovative classroom projects and/or school improvement projects. The approved requests have included items such as supplemental reading materials, defibrillators, smart boards and other technology resources, rubberized playground surface, sound system and a grand piano.
Establishing such a mechanism for patrons, alumni and businesses to direct gifts and memorials to the school has literally benefited thousands of students. The Trust fund now includes more than $1.5 million in assets. This generous support has allowed the Board to place monies in an endowment to ensure scholarships well into the future.
The community of Crete and surrounding area continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to children and the importance of a quality education. I would like to give a special thanks to those community leaders many years ago who started the Trust Board from thin air. It is my hope that we continue to be true to the mission and use the dollars in a manner which will benefit generations of Crete Public Schools students.
