KYSERIKE – One under-recognized arm of the Rondout Valley Central School's funding stream comes from a local community foundation. The Rondout Valley Education Foundation (RVEF), first incorporated in 2005, is a 501(c)(3) not for profit designed to provide funding for students and facility that are beyond the scope of the school district's budget.

The RVEF is made up of an eight member board who make decisions about how to disperse the foundation's funds, which are raised through grants, donations, and fundraising events. The impetus to start the foundation came because of the growing lack of adequate funding in public education, according to Nancy Taylor, the entity's emeritus director. Many colleges and university use foundations, she explained, and the RVEF is an extension of that on the public school level.

Last year a partnership fund was started by a former teacher, and now the Sandra Taub Golden Determination Award Fund awards two $100 gift certificates specifically to eighth grade students at commencement. More recently a farm to school fund was set up by a school board member.

"When the food service program wants to purchase fresh food they can use those funds," Taylor said.

Then there is the John J. Harvey fireboats project, started by a middle school teacher... when the fundraising became hard to manage the teacher partnered with the foundation.

The John J. Harvey fireboat is a deactivated fireboat in New York Harbor that was reactivated on Sept. 11, 2001 to helped put out the fires at the World Trade Center. As a floating museum, the fireboat now travels up the Hudson River and is visited regularly by Rondout Valley students.

"The personal excitement of being part of the RVED comes from the fact that both my husband and I graduated from Rondout, as did our three kids," Taylor said. "Public education is very important. It is not just up to the state or federal government to fund all parts of education; it's up to the community too."

Maggie Colan, also an emeritus director of RVEF, is particularly proud of two things the foundation has done.

"The first thing is the brick walk around the flagpole at the high school. Second is being able to be a vehicle to make it possible for live theater productions to happen again at the high school without impacting tax payers who are already struggling to make ends meet," Colan said. "Foundations can be a very powerful tool. My biggest goal for the foundation right now is to increase the membership so it has new energy and sustainability".

The Rondout Valley High School Musical Theater Fund is a partnership fund created with the help of the RVEF several years ago to bring back high school musicals, which utilizes donations and ticket income, as well as a rather large donation from Richard Murphy of the Egg's Nest in High Falls.

"He was very excited that the community came together and put on a musical," Taylor said about Murphy.

The RVEF helped to provide funds for Rondout High School's recent production of Guys and Dolls.