East Penn may Look at Starting Foundation to Help With Budget

At the Feb. 13 meeting of the , East Penn Superintendent of Schools Thomas L. Seidenberger told the board that he thinks the district should explore the possibility of setting up a foundation for East Penn.

“It’s something I think we should take a look at,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but something we may want to seriously look at coming up. It would provide alternative funds for what we do. It’s the purpose of why these things are constructed.”

The key to establishing a successful foundation, he said, is honing in on the goals of that foundation. For example, Seidenberger said that right now Northwestern Lehigh School District has a foundation whose purpose is to support that district’s technology initiatives.

A foundation, he said, is a 5013c organization. Basically, the board would give the superintendent the authorization to set up the foundation, an attorney would draft the articles of incorporation, and the superintendent and perhaps one school board member would serve as ex officio board members for the foundation.

Seidenberger said that if the board wants to delve into the idea of an East Penn foundation further, his team would be happy to do additional research and make a formal presentation to the board.

Other Lehigh Valley school districts are also exploring alternate revenue streams. The school board in recently voted to s, a decision that is expected to generate $150,000 for the district. If the school bus ad pilot program is successful, it will be expanded to include all Parkland busses.

The East Penn Board of School Directors meets tonight in the district administration offices at 7:30 p.m.