As this community well knows—and demonstrates time and time again—philanthropy is a terrific way to show up for your community, creating opportunity, safeguarding treasured assets and restoring hope and progress in the wake of challenges.

At our Community Foundation and others across the nation, many generous donors begin their relationship with charitable giving through establishing a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), which allows donors to direct funding to cause areas they are passionate about, utilizing the local expertise and concierge advisement of community foundations, whose missions are improving the quality of life within a specified region. 

This entry to charitable giving empowers positive change and we see this every day, as well as during times of need like hurricane response and especially during the pandemic. The DAF has offered a critical lifeline of support to vulnerable populations in normal times and during crises. The range of programs and services provided by local nonprofit organizations is impressive, and their work, supported through donors, is key to the well-being of all of us.  

Last fall, the US Treasury proposed regulations to the DAF model and nuances about how to manage those and other charitable giving vehicles that inhibit the utility of this important philanthropic tool to prevent possible abuse.

In response, I traveled last month to Washington, D.C., along with 17 other community foundation leaders from across the country alongside financial and legal professional representatives, to testify in-person about the proposed regulations under review by the US Treasury related to DAFs. 

Community foundations nationwide do not see donors attempting to abuse DAFs or other funds they establish; instead, partnering with a community foundation is an efficient way to carry out meaningful philanthropy, creating the means to invest locally in communities like ours to address acute and ongoing concerns and improve quality of life.

Community foundation leaders are not alone in this. Politicians from across the aisle have unified on this issue, voicing concern that proposed regulations could have a “chilling effect” on charitable giving and ultimately lead to weaker communities. We are grateful for Congressman Vern Buchanan’s leadership in co-sponsoring a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, signed by 33 members of the House Ways and Means Committee, outlining major concerns, noting that DAFs have democratized philanthropy in our nation.

We are hopeful that major revisions will be made to these proposed regulations, if they are not rescinded entirely. As they stand now, these proposed regulations would thwart local oversight of critical charitable gifts that are making a difference in communities across the country. We are proud to have been on the forefront of this issue and to have been able to share with local and national legislators and regulators the importance of community foundations to empower donors and help enhance our communities’ well-being now, and for generations to come. 

Roxie Jerde is President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. 

Photo courtesy Community Foundation: Vern Buchanan and Roxie Jerde.

The Sarasota County community will soon have a pivotal role in sustaining the high educational standards that have been a cornerstone of our community for over two decades. Voters should be informed about how these funds have supported Sarasota County Schools in maintaining its "A" status since the inception of state grades in 2004. 

Referendum dollars are strategically reinvested directly into our schools in ways that yield the most impact for our students, families, teachers, and staff. The current millage referendum annual revenue is approximately $100 million, accounting for about 18.5% of the district's total operating budget. This portion of our budget has expanded and preserved several educational programs and services that benefit our students, equating to approximately 1,000 instructional positions.

Our schools would not be environments of growth and success without our talented teachers. Continuing the referendum would assist the district in recruiting and investing in high-quality educators by providing competitive salaries, maintaining additional instructional time (equivalent to 18 extra school days), and supporting professional development. These measures ensure we retain the best educators — the number one factor impacting student achievement.  

Sarasota County Schools is committed to elevating workforce education by enhancing initiatives that foster skill development, practical application and workforce expertise. This involves supporting career and technical education instructors, facilitating dual enrollment at Suncoast Technical College, employing career advisors and school counselors, and funding programs at Suncoast Polytechnical High School. These efforts – sustained for many years due to the community's continuation of the referendum – prepare our students for life, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to positively impact our local economy.

The continuation of the referendum supports our safety and security plans by funding school resource officers, security aides, behavior specialists, and technology staff. These roles are integral to maintaining a secure and supportive school environment. Safety is non-negotiable; these roles are necessary in creating a safe learning environment for our students.

Additionally, the district assigns referendum funds to preserve programs that promote creativity, innovation, and knowledge in fields such as the arts, music, technology, and science. This includes sustaining prekindergarten, supporting accelerated coursework, promoting STEM education, and preserving arts and music instruction. 

As educators, we aim to promote student achievement by investing in evidence-based instructional approaches, ensuring that resources – such as the continued referendum – are thoughtfully applied where they can make the most impact. This involves supporting literacy coaches and interventionists, enrichment science teachers, and school choice offerings, among other focus areas. These initiatives are pivotal for ensuring successful academic outcomes.

Quality educational outcomes impact everyone in our community, even those who do not have children in schools. Today's students are tomorrow's doctors, electricians, and financial advisors. This investment in our educational system is not just for the present but for the future of our community. 

Be informed when voting on November 5, 2024 — learn more about the priorities supported by the continuation of the millage referendum by visiting www.sarasotacountyschools.net/referendum.

Terry Connor is Sarasota County Superintendent of Schools. 

For parents and caregivers of school-age children, the summer heat and the end of the school year can anticipate an exciting family vacation or mark the start of two months of rushing kids to camps and scrambling to find and afford childcare—all while still making it to work on time.

For many students, the break provides a much-needed chance to recharge and enjoy unstructured days. For others, it’s a time to take on more hours at work, prepare for college, or both. But it also marks the onset of “summer slide,” when students begin to lose the learning that they have gained over the course of the school year.  

While summer can certainly complicate an already busy schedule for many parents or caregivers, it is a great time to find fun (and hopefully easy) ways to keep kids actively learning while spending valuable time with them. 

There are so many great, inexpensive ways to keep kids learning. To celebrate the Herculean feat of engaging children intentionally through the summer, I wanted to share a few of my favorites:

1. Take your child to the public library. There are many branches, and it’s a great (and air-conditioned) way to promote literacy and introduce your child to new books—for free. (And please know, if your child is in grade K–5 and needs a little extra support reading, you can get free books through the New Worlds Reading Initiative. It’s an amazing resource.)
2. Enjoy the natural beauty that Sarasota offers. Visit a beach or explore one of the great state parks such as Myakka or Oscar Scherer. Create lists of all the different birds you see and research them. Do the same for other animals or the many plants that grow. Identify if they’re native plants and learn how they’ve been used over the years.
3. Take a vacation—from screens. Pick a day (maybe Phone Free Fridays?) or even just a few hours a few times a week to spend without phones, laptops, tablets, smart watches or TVs. 
4. Dig out that old card table and start a puzzle. You might be surprised how a puzzle can bring people together and foster collective problem solving. 
5. Cook or bake with your child. Explore the science behind your creations. If you’re competitive, create cooking or baking challenges. Plenty of baking and cooking shows serve as humorous reminders that you don’t need to be a veteran cook, or even a competent one, to have fun in the kitchen and maybe even create something delicious.
6. Cool off while spending time at one of Sarasota’s great museums. There is so much to discover about the rich history of our community, and many museums offer free admission on certain days or times.
7. Find a new podcast and help your child find one. Share what you all listened to, what you learned and why you liked it.
8. Create art together. It doesn’t matter if you’re not an artist. You can model risk-taking with your child as you both set out to create. Check out tutorials together and share in the learning.
9. Look into community classes you could take with your child or find a free online course. Today, you can find free courses on just about anything!
10. Volunteer together. There are so many great ways to get involved across the county, and volunteering teaches important lessons about giving back to a community and uniting to keep it strong!

Activities like these, most of which require little planning, and many of which are free, fuel curiosity and keep kids learning. They can help counter summer slide. Most importantly, they help parents and caregivers develop new connections with their children while creating fun summer memories.

Jennifer Vigne is president and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. 

Photo courtesy Sarasota County.