July 20, 2016

Dear friends,

Thanks to the community’s dedicated support, the Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation impacted students, teachers and schools in Saint Paul by fostering academic excellence, supporting the success of all students and igniting critical innovation in the classroom.

High-quality programming and impactful community grant-making requires a steady commitment with sustainable funding. After conducting a comprehensive review and evaluation of its programs, operations and organizational structure, the Board of Directors unanimously voted in March of 2016  to dissolve the organization with programming and operations ending on July 29, 2016. This difficult decision came after Foundation leadership determined it could no longer sustain its robust programming commitments into the future.

The Foundation has made a significant impact in the community, including awarding more than $2 million in grants to Saint Paul Public Schools, teachers, and non-profit organizations.  The partnership with the Phillips Eye Institute Foundation will result in 13,000 children receiving vision screening in our schools. 

The Tutoring Partnership has provided thousands of tutors throughout Saint Paul Public Schools and out-of-school time programming, supporting students in reading and math and improving their academic skills. Tutoring programs received critical training and coaching to ensure they were providing high-quality services to kids. The community’s support made all of these accomplishments possible. Even though this iteration of the Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation is closed, there is still a need within the community to support our public schools. We are hopeful that community conversations will determine that a public school foundation is necessary and will best structure an organization for long-term success.

Thank you for your continued support for our students, teachers and schools.  We look forward to seeing the next great community initiative that helps students succeed. Because when all students succeed, Saint Paul succeeds. 

Sincerely,

Jamice Obianyo

2016 Chair, Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors