To the Editor:

I am responding to Mrs. Donna Yozwiak’s March 6 letter to the editor. The Pleasant Valley School District, community and scholarship recipients are grateful for all organizations and individuals who make funds available for the continuing education of our deserving students.

A bit of recent scholarship history will be useful to put things in perspective. Five years ago (school year 2018-19), 75 students received $1.8M in scholarships. Last year, 86 students received $3.8M in scholarships, up 46% from $2.6M the prior year. With the help of parents, teachers, counselors and superior student achievement, our graduates clearly have more scholarship opportunities than earlier graduating classes. (i.e., PV’s graduating class size is down, while the number of scholarships being offered is up.)

Any pause or loss of a scholarship is cause for review, reflection and remediation, when possible. The Singer Family C and E Foundation scholarship eligibility pause began when the district lost its lead counselor and designated replacement. As a former PV high school counselor, Mrs. Yozwiak knows that the participating school’s Lead Counselor has to complete the foundation’s stringent multi-step on-site and off-site training for the participating school to become eligible to apply annually for scholarships. Scheduling of all training is controlled by the foundation.

It is unfortunate that this training could not be completed in 2023. The foundation provided the opportunity for Lead Counselor training in January/February 2024, which was completed by our current designated Lead Counselor. The foundation’s Executive Director for Scholarships wants additional team training and, therefore, is continuing the pause for the 2023-24 school year. The district is and will continue to work to regain its status as a Singer Family C and E Foundation participating school.

Our board fully supports our administration, staff and families in a joint commitment to work with the donating community to provide a broad range of post-graduation opportunities. As Mrs. Yozwiak aptly noted, it is all about our graduates and their future.

Norman A. Burger

Pleasant Valley School Board

Gilbert