Why The East Fund? Why now?

The schools serving our children and communities are in great need. Our schools, including Shawnee Mission East, are facing deep budget cuts, program reductions, larger class sizes, reduced professional development opportunities for staff, and little, if any, resources for improving teaching and learning. All this comes at a time when the metropolitan region is purposefully attempting to build a more powerful infrastructure in biotechnology, entrepreneurism and research. Just at the time when our public schools should be investing more in our young people, and innovating in teaching and learning, they are challenged to deliver the basics.

We believe that schools and communities are obligated by our social contract with children and youth to deliver the highest standard of education possible. In these fiscally difficult times school administrators and patrons must find new and more powerful mechanisms that lead to continuing and improving the quality of the public education experience. 

By initiating the Shawnee Mission East Educational Excellence Fund, we intend to add one more strategy to ensuring success for students and support the excellence we have always expected from East.

Why support The East Fund?

It has a Purpose

• Assure the long-term success and continued high standards of SME.
• Involve the entire community in defining and celebrating excellence at SME.
• Raise funds to meet our community's goals for a rich and rewarding high school experience.

It has a Place

• Focus on the needs and expectations for ALL SME students.
• Work cooperatively and supportively with existing and future SME and District interest groups and we have already formed a long-term relationship with the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation.
• Engage the entire community to broaden and deepen support and resources for SME.
• Make decisions locally through a board of staff, parents and community stakeholders.

It comes with a Promise!

• Ability to focus on results that we—our staff, families, neighbors, business and community leaders—believe matter most.
• A significant endowment that will continue to provide resources into the future focused on the continued improvement of teaching and learning. 
• A significant resource makes it possible for faculty, students, and parents to dream;to envision ways to enhance learning at SME and make that dream a reality.
• Financial flexibility to invest locally in innovative strategies for teaching and learning.