It’s not a done deal, of course.
Still, it looks very likely that State High student activities will be trimmed in the next school year.
As the State College school district grapples with a multi-million-dollar budget gap, more than 50 groups at State College Area High School could see some level of budget reductions. They include the Chess Club, Outing Club, Youth and Government Club, French Club, Potter Club, the Jazz Band, the Dance Team — and the list goes on. (Click here for a thorough PDF document from the school district.)
But a burgeoning effort by State High alumni may dull the pain.
Alumnus Sri Pisupati — a Penn State student and former State High student-body president — is setting the groundwork for a private fundraising effort, he said last week.
Pisupati has already been in touch with dozens of people: fellow State High grads, local business people, the school alumni association, even the school district’s fundraising coordinator.
His tentative vision: to create new avenues through which anyone can support, with private money, activities that may suffer under the budget cuts.
‘As an alum, I think it’s something me and friends can do,’ Pisupati told me. ‘ … I think the interest is definitely there; I think any money will help out student-activity-wise.’
He imagines double-pronged effort. One prong would create a general fund to which student organizations could apply for financial backing. A panel of student leaders would weigh each application and whether to fund the organization seeking help.
The second prong would allow donors to select the specific activity or activities they want to support, and direct their contributions to those groups.
(And, no: The school district doesn’t offer any such private fundraising options right now. It does offer other fundraising programs to accept contributions — including for scholarships — but nothing specifically along the lines of what Pisupati has in mind.)
Hand it to Sri: The guy is visionary. Granted — his vision on this front is still in an incipient stage. But to my mind at least, this is exactly the sort of grassroots, bottom-up effort that the community ought to be taking on. (Full disclosure: I, too, am a State High alum.)
I figure we have a choice: We can simply wring our hands, tacitly accept the cuts, maybe write a letter to Harrisburg, and just hope that things will get better.
Or we can go a step further, turn to ourselves and help fill the gaps — ourselves — as best we can.
It’s not just about money, either. Sure — cash will help a great deal. But we can give of ourselves, as well: Volunteer our time, share our expertise where we can, offer up in-kind support when it’d be useful.
We at StateCollege.com will keep up with Sri’s efforts in the coming weeks and bring you updates as they’re warranted. (And, by the way: If you’d like to touch base with him, he’d be delighted to hear from you. His e-mail address is skp5110@psu.edu.)
In the meantime, here’s wishing State College some collective introspection.
We have a choice. We’ve never been a crowd that just lets things happen to us. We make our own way, carve our own path, chart our own future.
Let’s not forget it.
