The Foundation of an Exceptional Thirty-five years after its inception, the Shaker Schools Foundation plays an indispensable role in the educational experience of every Shaker student – and that’s something to celebrate. 50 SHAKERONLINE.COM | WINTER 2017 By Jennifer Proe One of the first of its kind in the nation when it debuted in 1981, the Shaker Schools Foundation has been a game-changer in providing every Shaker student access to a world-class education. A group of civic-minded Shaker citizens and administrators conceived of the Foundation as a way to use private money to supplement the funding system for public education. The goal was to provide the extras that Shaker Heights families insist should be part of every student’s education. Those extras include items like fine and performing arts opportunities. Technology upgrades. Teacher grants for innovative ideas. Travel scholarships for disadvantaged students. Renowned guest speakers and artists-in-residence. Sports equipment. Tutoring, mentoring, and test preparation assistance. The list goes on and on. In the 1980s, the concept of establishing a private foundation for a public school system was all but unheard of. Today, the Foundation serves as a model for others who wish to follow Shaker’s lead. Steve Minter, who served as president and executive director of the Cleveland Foundation from 1984-2003, can attest to that. He and his wife Dolly moved to Shaker in 1963 because of the schools’ reputation for quality and integration. Their three daughters graduated from Shaker Heights High School in the 1980s. “Given my background and interest in education, I was very involved at the Cleveland Foundation in educational grant-making,” says Minter. “Toward the end of the 1970s it became very evident that there was a lot of pressure on public school systems to find sufficient resources to fund education opportunities for a changing demographic of students. Shaker was no exception.” What was exceptional was Shaker’s response. “A group of far-sighted people had a conversation about how we might encourage individuals in this community to help support those programs for which we just did not get enough public funding,” says Minter. “Over the years, I have been contacted many times by school systems and communities looking to replicate Shaker’s success, and I tell them that increasing community engagement and support is just as important as raising the dollars.”
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