GREENLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Dinner, concert mark latest fundraising drive
Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Greenland School Supporters will hold two fundraising events within the next four days as part of their ongoing efforts to raise money for the financially troubled district.
The first event will be a dinner before Friday's home football game. Tickets are $6 and available in advance or at the gate.
"The menu is going to be chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, green beans, a dinner roll, a dessert and a drink,"said Paula Schoonover, event organizer and School Supporters volunteer.
The School Supporters is a group made up mostly of school employees, district residents, school patrons and former school board members.
On Sunday the group will hold a concert in the elementary school gym. The doors open at 1 p.m., although the bands do not start performing until 2 p.m.
The Little O' Oprey Band from West Fork, accompanied by some youth singers, will play from 2-4 p.m. Following that band, the Francis Harderson and Company Bluegrass Band will play from 5-6 p.m., Schoonover said.
The Little O' Oprey Band will then perform again from 6-8 p.m.
Tickets for the concert are $8 for adults and $ 5for children 10 and up. Children 9 and younger will be admitted free of charge.
The two events are the latest in an ongoing schedule of fundraisers designed to raise up to $648,000 for the school district. That figure was arrived at because it is the estimated amount, plus interest, that the district needs to pay off $621,000 in cash-flow loans due in December.
In April, Greenland was placed on the state's fiscal distress list for financially troubled districts by the Arkansas Department of Education due to projected financial shortfalls. In July, the department considered annexing Greenland to another system, but the Arkansas State Board of Education voted to take over the district instead.
The state appointed Roland Smith as superintendent of the district later that month, and the school board was dismissed as part of the takeover.
Smith said last month he would like to see the community raise at least $200,000 to $400,000 to help make the district more financially solvent and stave off future consideration of annexation by the Arkansas Department of Education.
The most recent fundraiser the group had was a breakfast at Applebee's on Aug. 23.
"We had $2,200 come in from the breakfast at Applebee's,"former board member and Greenland Alderman Bill Groom said.
A calendar of the fundraiser events is available on the group's Web site - www.greenlandsos.com. The group is planning to hold or participate in about one event per week through the end of October.
A group of supporters is planning to work at a concession stand during the UA's home football game on Sept. 20.
In addition to the upcoming fundraisers, Schoonover said they received two items to raffle off in order to raise money for the school.
One of the items is a Razorback quilt handmade by middle school librarian Leslie Scates and displayed on an iron quilt rack. Members of National Junior Honor Society will be selling tickets for $1 each, Schoonover said.
The quilt and rack will be awarded on Nov. 6, during Greenland's last home football game.
The supporters also just received an all-terrain vehicle that they plan to raffle off, and the individual raffle tickets might be more expensive.
"I think the first time we'll have it out will be this Friday,"Groom said.
The next fundraiser meeting for the Greenland School Supporters will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 on the Greenland campus.
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