SAIL ~ Our Story

Now those communities have become settled and seasoned.  A wave of physical plant renovation has resulted in upgraded buildings and the installation of new technology.  In many ways, taxpayers have made a new investment in their schools.

But they are buckling from the financial strain.

Responsible school officials walk the line between innovative, well-rounded education for our youth, and its attendant costs.  A natural outgrowth is the quest for alternative funding.

 

Enter:  Foundations

Emerging from the 1980’s crisis in California public education financing, foundations developed to help public education close the gap between tax revenues and program costs.  They do not seek to replace tax funding for education.  Rather, education foundations provide supplementary funding for existing education, enhancement or enrichment programs, limiting the taxpayers’ burden.  

Foundations generally operate independently of school system governance, working as financial helpmates to district officials.  Foundations do not create policy or academic standards.  They are private, non-profit organizations that qualify as charitable organizations.  Their leaders come from the community, and their presence tends to call attention to the financial plight of public educators. 

 

Debut:  SAIL

SAIL was the brainchild of its founding presidents, Bob Quarte and Kate Keeney, who served together on Sayville High School’s shared decision-making team.  They found that educators were constantly stymied by financial restraints as they sought to provide the best educational opportunity for Sayville’s students.   Research unearthed the foundation concept.

In January, 2007, The Sayville Advocacy for Initiatives in Learning Corp. (SAIL) debuted in the community.  It was certified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, following its incorporation in the State of New York. 

Its board members were found in the schools, in retirement, in business and in the PTA.  All had a common belief:  that the Sayville Schools could benefit from the enthusiastic support of  private citizens who wanted to go beyond tax dollars to make a difference in a child’s growth.

They are not alone.  In its first fundraising activity, Sayville business and community members raised thousands of dollars to aid our educators.  That financial bonus has already been turned back into the schools in the form of grants to innovative teachers.  Other events will replenish the “pot” and give back again – and again.

 

 

Join us in our goals...

To provide a funding source for Sayville School District programs – whether new or existing – that encourage student participation in academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

To unify the efforts of our schools, businesses and community to support the best opportunities available in education and enrichment for the students of the Sayville Public Schools.

To promote community awareness of the need for alternative and innovative funding of

initiatives for educational excellence.

To partner with the Board of Education, administration and teachers in each of our

schools to enhance academic, cultural and recreational opportunities for our students.

To offer a vehicle for private and corporate support of the Sayville Public Schools.

SAIL was born into a fiscal climate of cutbacks and tax concerns that plagues virtually all Long Island school districts.  The need to educate, to enlighten our young people, has never been more critical in a fast-paced, “smaller” world.  Yet, the cost of living in this metro-suburban region is strangling families and businesses who work for a good life. 

 

Once upon a time on Long Island, as the region expanded outward from the city, new communities made a strong investment in their students and their schools.  Facilities were brand, spanking new.  Academic programs were legion and after-school student involvement ran high.