The future of Community Funded Positions

In the summer of 2024, the SMSD School Board began reevaluating the long standing existence of "Community Funded Positions" within SMSD- staff positions whose salaries are paid for not by the district, but rather through community funding (private donations).

While we wish the district was able to fully fund all needs for all schools, that unfortunately isn't the current reality. For more than 10 years, parents at Prairie Elementary have stepped up to fill that funding gap to ensure all positions at our school are fully funded. The position being funded each year has evolved as needs and funding have evolved. The first community funded position at Prairie was the school nurse as the district was not funding a full time school nurse at the time. The Prairie Fund was established as a fundraising arm for the school, for the purpose of fundraising to support these positions that would otherwise would not exist. Today, through the Prairie Fund, one of our two Interventionists positions at Prairie is a "community funded position".

Prairie is provided ONE Interventionist position from the district. That person is tasked with providing support to every student K-6 who is needing additional math or reading resources during WIN (What I Need) time. The district calculates the number of Interventionists it provides a school largely based on the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. However, based on test scores, it is impossible for one person to serve every student at our school who would benefit from Interventionist support. At the request of our staff, teachers and principal, the Prairie Fund has raised funds to be able to support having one additional Interventionist position at Prairie for the last few years, including the current ('25-'26) school year.

So what happened last year school? The SMSD School Board voted at the end of last school year NOT to outright ban community funded positions, but rather to implement a rubric, starting with the '26-'27 school year, by which requests to allow community funding to pay for a position will be evaluated.

The position of the Prairie Fund is ultimately that we wish SMSD was able to fully fund every school. Since that is not the case, we hope that our application for the '26-'27 school year is approved so that Interventionist support can continue for our Prairie students. The Prairie Fund will apply for approval for our Community Funded Interventionist position in February 2026 and find out shortly thereafter if our application is approved.

Over the years, with the support of our generous parents, the reach of the Prairie Fund has grown beyond just the Community Funded Position and now fills a variety of funding needs at Prairie (see "Impact" page for examples). We will continue to support our school in whatever ways our staff and students need.