By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
9/24/09
Although the limited hours he can be found in his office at Milton High School would suggest part-time employment, working through the often labyrinthine process of competitive grant writing for a nearly 4,000-student school system is definitely a full-time job for Chris Masalsky. “It’s a lot of working through red tape,” he said, explaining the complex process of working through state and federal bureaucracies that often goes hand-in-hand with securing grants. “It’s definitely a round-the-clock job.”
However, he added, it’s a process that’s necessary in securing important new funds for students in the school system.
“My job is to … condense it all together, to try to provide those extra things that wouldn’t otherwise find their way into the budget. Those things that have traditionally been public domain are becoming privately [financed]. You have to stay constantly immersed,” he said.
Masalsky splits his time between the school system and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, which is based in Boston.
His time in the public schools has been spent understanding the system’s needs – talking with teachers, principals, parents – and looking for creative ways to spell out those needs to potential grant providers.
A crucial part of the process is thinking outside the box.
“They’re not going to just give us money and say ‘spend it however you want,’ particularly in this difficult funding environment. They’re looking for innovative, out-of-the-box ideas that have a real impact on students,” Masalsky said.
Masalsky started working for the school system in January. The Milton Foundation for Education committed to funding the grant writer position for three years, “in the hopes of increasing the resources available to the Milton public schools,” according to an MFE press release, which praises Masalsky’s work.
According to Mary McLaughlin, president of the MFE trustees, Masalsky has “already made such an important contribution to finding new sources of funding for our schools.”
In his first nine months, Masalsky raised $48,000 for two initiatives. First was a $43,000 grant from the Department of Education for post-trauma and relief counseling following an incident in March that left two students dead. In the wake of the tragedy, the School Department was able to hire a professional grief counselor and present a public forum on ways to handle trauma.
“It was extremely important,” Masalsky recalled. “In the wake of such a terrible event, that students of all ages felt like they could talk about this, and not be afraid to seek help. We wanted to know it was there for them.”
Then there was a $5,000 grant through DOE’s Academic Support Summer Enrichment Grant, a program targeted to Pierce Middle School students in need of additional instruction who have fallen behind on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam, or MCAS.
Another initiative, the Pierce Saturday School program, is one that Masalsky called “critical,” saying the School Department is looking to expand it to include elementary students.
Of the 177 students targeted for the program last year, 70 completed the 14-week Saturday course. “It was a tremendous success. We wanted to make it a destination for students. We want to make it so they want to come here, so they’re excited to be here and learn,” he said.
Masalsky is eyeing other potential grants, although he said some have already been turned down, including one that would have funded SMART Board technology for classroom instruction.
Other proposals include additional funding in support of field trips and outdoor classrooms, he said.
Masalsky credited School Superintendent Mary Gormley for providing “leadership and initiative” in seeking new grant ideas. “She’s a positive force,” he said. “She has high energy … always on the go. She has tremendous vision for the schools.”