FLOYD COUNTY —
The New Albany-Floyd County Education Foundation is hoping to expand its services under its first executive director.
The foundation recently announced that Stephen Cunningham will lead the foundation, which has been around since 2005 and provides funding to schools for initiatives such as free, full-day kindergarten.
“In these times of tough budget reductions, Floyd County needs the foundation to help support a great education for our students,” Cunningham said. “I cannot think of a more worthwhile endeavor than helping teachers, help children.”
Cunningham is currently the adult education director for six Southern Indiana counties. Prior to that, he has taught at various colleges, including Indiana University Southeast. He began his teaching career at New Albany High School and later was principal at Silver Creek High School.
“We were looking for somebody who could really hit the ground running, who knew the community and knew our schools and had experience in grant writing,” said Jerry Finn, foundation board president and member of the search committee that selected Cunningham. “Dr. Cunningham has done a lot of that. He’s also very personable and outgoing and willing to talk to anyone about the good things going on in our schools and how the community can support that through the foundation.”
Finn said in addition to supporting full-day kindergarten, the foundation gives grants to teachers to help buy items needed in the classroom, provides funds to pay for children to participate in Junior Achievement, supports Imagination Library and more.
He said he hopes to see the foundation expand its reach, purchasing more technology for classrooms, such as interactive whiteboards.
Finn said the board of the foundation is made up of volunteers that no matter how dedicated, can’t get all the work needed done.
“It’s a lot of great things happening that need to be taken to the next level. The board has done a lot to initiate things,” Finn said. “To get them started is one thing. To keep them going at the level that they need to be is a different thing and we needed somebody capable of doing that.”
Cunningham said he’s looking forward to his new position.
“The foundation is about every one who lives and/or works in Floyd County and past graduates working together to raise funds to improve the New Albany-Floyd County School system,” he said. “The foundation is an opportunity for graduates to give back to the schools and teachers who positively affected their lives!”
To date the foundation has given $603,575 to fund projects, Finn said.
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NA-FC Education Foundation hires Cunningham as executive director
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