Over 700 teachers educate over 8,600 students in Carroll ISD every year, according to district enrollment numbers. Those teachers instruct more than 250 different courses, from core subjects like math and English to STEM programs like engineering and robotics. And they’re able to do all of that thanks in no small part to the parents, business leaders and community stakeholders involved with the Carroll Education Foundation.
First incorporated in 1996, the Carroll Education Foundation (CEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that financially supports the district through its annual programming. Since its inception 25 years ago, CEF has raised over $3 million in support of critical educational infrastructure and the development of an investment fund ensuring its support for years to come. But if you ask any of its board members, their work has only just begun.
GRANTING OPPORTUNITIES
In 1983, after finishing law school at Southern Methodist University and starting his own law practice, Brad Bradley was looking for a community to settle in with his family. That was when a client told him about a small city called Southlake.
“He kind of talked me into moving here,” Brad says. “I had a 2-year-old at the time. We were living in an apartment in Bedford, and we figured we needed to buy a house somewhere.”
With a population of fewer than 3,000 people, Brad says the area was much more rural compared to today.
“It wasn’t even a place you could find back then,” Brad remarks. “Southlake Boulevard was two lanes instead of six. Cows would get out onto it and stop traffic, not the stoplights.”
But one pillar that did stand out in Southlake was Carroll ISD. At the time, Carroll ISD was a 3A school district hot off the heels of winning a baseball state championship. Even back then, Brad says Carroll ISD’s reputation preceded itself.
“The school district was always a big generator,” he says. “I think the school has been the most major attraction for many people all along.”
It didn’t take long for Brad to get involved with the city. The same year he moved in, Brad co-founded the Southlake Chamber of Commerce and served as its head director. He also began serving as the assistant district attorney for Tarrant County and as the assistant attorney general for the state of Texas.
But he didn’t start getting involved with the school district until he took his son Ryan to a parent-teacher night at Carroll Middle School in 1985.
“The science teacher had gone out of his way to get animals for biology,” he says. “He had gerbils, snakes, and all of it came out of his pocket. He had to get the animals, the cages, the food, everything. I got into a discussion with the teacher about how great it would be if the school district funded that sort of thing. He said they were never going to do that.”
That was when he got the idea to start a foundation that could raise funds for CISD teachers and classrooms. He started by recruiting 12 board members, then tasked each of them to raise $5,000 for a total of $60,000. Those members raised funds through several different avenues, from brunch fundraisers to roasts of prominent residents like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and former Southlake Mayor Rick Stacy.
But the real fun began when the board would go through grant applications to decide where best to apply the funds.
“The idea was if you had an idea that would benefit the students in your class, you could apply for up to $10,000 and get funds to buy equipment for whatever you needed,” Brad says. “The process of going through the applications and boiling them down was enjoyable because you learned a lot about the teachers and what’s important to them.”
But Brad’s favorite part was the check presentations, when his members paraded through the schools and presented a big check to the teachers who won a grant.
“It was really fun,” he smiles. “The Dragon mascot was there, the drumline was performing and the teachers were usually really surprised that they got it.”
FUNDING TEACHERS
In 2001, five years after the Carroll Education Foundation incorporated as an official nonprofit, Carroll ISD became a Chapter 41 property-wealthy school district, meaning that property taxes in excess of the statewide rate were redistributed to less wealthy school districts. The impact on the district varies from year to year, but in the Carroll Education Foundation’s most recent report, approximately a third of Carroll ISD’s property tax dollars — $30 million — were redistributed to other districts. This could affect the district’s ability to retain teachers and staff, especially those teaching courses deemed “non-essential” by the state.
CEF continued to provide teacher grants for the next 15 years. During that time, Carroll ISD grew to over 8,000 students and 22 parent-teacher organizations, including for new programs such as robotics and the Carroll Medical Academy. By the time board chair Rebecca Hindman joined CEF in 2018, the foundation was reevaluating ways it could help the district even more than it already was.
“There weren’t enough needs to fund in the classroom because the PTOs and booster clubs were already taking such good care of them,” Rebecca says. “We were having to work harder to give money away.”
That was when CEF approached the school district and asked where it could make the biggest contribution. With the knowledge that 85% of the district budget went toward staffing, CEF decided to shift the focus from funding classroom activities to funding teachers’ salaries instead.
While CEF previously relied on a singular fundraising gala, the new annual campaign modeled its fundraising through both annual events and sponsorship packages. Major events like the Culinary Celebration and the Teacher Telethon brought in $100,000 each, while sponsorship packages helped bridge the gap even further, whether it was a dollar a day or $10,000 as part of the “Superintendent’s Circle.”
“We really appreciate everything the administrators, teachers and CEF do for our kids, and anything we can do to support them is important,” says realtor Thomas Michael, who is also a “Superintendent’s Circle” donor. “We’re very proud to be a small part of that, to do something to support them and the teachers.”
From the very beginning, money was set aside and deposited into an investment account, which today is worth over $1 million. The investment account includes various stocks and bonds, and with proper management, creates a self-sustaining revenue stream, according to executive director Kathy Lanier. All of this ensures that no matter what financial challenges Carroll ISD faces, CEF will be able to help.
“By dipping into that investment fund, we’re able to give 100% of the donor dollars back, even in a year like this one,” Kathy says.
With the increased community outreach efforts, CEF has considerably grown its donor base to 1,477. The overwhelming generosity of the community helped raise a record $650,000 for CEF in 2020.
“In the previous years, we have raised $1.65 million for the district,” executive board member John Irvine says. “In the last three years combined, we gave about $1.6 million. We’ve done as much in the past three years as we did in the 15 years before that.”
CEF’s impact is evident throughout the district. Since 2018, not only has the district funded 24 teachers’ salaries, but also 11 nurse and intervention counselor positions on all 11 Carroll campuses.
“It really resonates with me,” Rebecca says. “I have three kids that went to three different schools, and I thought this was one way I could maximize my contribution. I could focus my efforts in one place and help my kids at all of their different campuses.”
FUNDING FUTURES
CEF’s mission to fund teachers hasn’t always been easy. During CEF’s 2020-2021 campaign, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted much of its planned programming, including canceling its signature culinary celebration. Even the overall mood felt different to Rebecca.
“As a community, the stress and anxiety was really high for so many reasons,” she says. “Some people were with their kids at home trying to help them through online school. Others just felt hurt, stressed and disconnected. Everything just felt different.”
Still, CEF didn’t let the obstacles of social distancing stop its mission. Before the pandemic even hit, CEF had reached 90% of its fundraising goal for the year, with only $55,000 standing between it and its $550,000 goal. That summer, the foundation bridged the gap by holding an online auction and raffle featuring 80 prizes for bidding, including diamond necklaces, gift cards, Broadway musical tickets and four-day luxury vacations. The online event ended up raising over $50,000.
But CEF did a lot more than just meet its fundraising goals during the pandemic: It also donated an extra $100,000 to fund two additional teachers’ salaries on Carroll’s high school campuses.
Rebecca says CEF will continue to aspire funding 13 teachers through 2021 and beyond. And with its board members continuing to interact with the community and build on its connections, she doesn’t think that goal will be hard to reach.
“We’re much more than a nonprofit organization — we’re a relationship organization,” she says. “We’re forming and cultivating relationships with people and businesses in the community 365 days a year. This really is the time to lean into the district, the teachers and the students.”
And while Brad has mostly moved on after finishing his term as chairman in the late ‘90s, he still helps the foundation as an advisory member. Brad says he’s proud that the Carroll Education Foundation is self-sustaining and continues to independently provide for the district’s teachers, students, families and futures.
“It’s good to see that it continues on — that it continues to benefit the district, and by extension, the kids in the district,” Brad says.