FUNDING BODY:

Appalachian State University - Reich College of Education

APPLICANT LAST NAME:
Stroup
APPLICANT FIRST NAME:
Dalton
APPLICANT EMAIL:
stroupdt@appstate.edu
DEPARTMENT:
Business/Education
PHONE NUMBER:
(704) 615-3489
PROJECT TITLE:
Beth Boggs Lentz Fund for Equal Education
PROJECT NARRATIVE:
● Statement of Problem:
The current problem that my project wishes to address is the lack of funding in public schools
and the disproportionate distribution of the available resources between schools. More
specifically, the problem that I hope to address is the issue of public school teachers being
required to purchase supplies for their students because schools aren't receiving enough funding.
This problem is important because it gives the message that students aren’t cared for, and
teachers are carrying an extra burden that they don't deserve. North Mecklenburg High School in
Huntersville North Carolina is part of the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System, and it is not
meeting its learning expectations. WRAL reported the State’s annual release of North Carolina
School Performance Grades. North Mecklenburg made a “C” and trails behind the rest of the
state in all areas. The areas that calculate the grades are; growth and achievement. WRAL
reported that North Mecklenburg failed to meet student growth and achievement goals, despite
the graduation rate of 86% (equal to the state average). Based on information gathered from US
News, the school is made up of 54% economically disadvantaged students, 82% minority, and
trails the rest of the district by more than 20% in mathematical proficiency.
The blatantly racist and classist distribution of resources in public school districts tells students
that their learning is not important to the district, just the color of their skin and the neighborhood
they grew up in. A larger investment into the students of such underserved communities will
show that further investment will encourage faster growth and benefit the lives of all students.
 ● Specific Goals:
The main goal of this project is to convince school boards, state legislatures, and other funding
entities that investing in school supplies is essential in benefiting the community and creating
well rounded citizens. The specific goals of the project are as follows:
1. Provide a low income public school with the ability to obtain new supplies
2. Improve overall learning and comprehension within the school as a result.
3. Increase Test Scores within the school as a result.
4. Show the community the importance of investing in school supplies
By accomplishing the goals laid out above, we hope to provide evidence that investing in
education benefits the future generations, and therefore our country.

● Broader Significance:
This project’s aim to seek equal funding in all schools nationwide, has significance on a large
scale. First, the equal funding of all schools will break down the barriers of systematic racism
that attempts to keep minorities impoverished. Secondly, this project will be adding to the
education that students are already receiving within the classroom. More education will create
higher functioning individuals of society, able to create more sustainable, and better functioning
societies. In the current system, the incentive for schools to receive better funding is based on the
test course that schools produce. Schools can not produce better test scores if they are not able to
invest in better ways to teach. This project will prove this theory and impact schools not only in
the Charlotte Mecklenburg School District, or the state of North Carolina, but across the Nation.
Results from this project could influence the decisions made in Washington D.C regarding the
National Budget and the amount of funding the Federal Government invests in schools. All of
these changes may seem far fetched or like long term goals, and some of them are, but there is no
denying the benefit of such a project on an individual level.

This project, will generate funding to balance out the current distribution across school districts
and raise the level of funding to all schools. The benefits reaped by the students will be a better
education, a preparation for the real world, and the development of global thinkers. This project
will also benefit the school by creating more money for the school to use on resources, freeing up
money they should be using on maintenance. The Charlotte Observer reported that in May of
2018, North Mecklenburg High School received a score of 75.5 out of 100. The Facebook posted
that sparked this inspection and subsequent news article was from a teacher Jana Johnson, in the
history department who spoke of the effort to help students despite the falling supplies and
facilities. Ms. Johnson posted photos proving her statements on Facebook and gained over 1,000
shares. Beth Boggs Lentz is a North Mecklenburg High and Appalachian State Alumnus who is
also a former teacher at North Mecklenburg. Mrs. Lentz was one of the teachers who worked
daily to better the lives of students and to give hope through better opportunities in the future
through CTE and Early College programs. As a student and faculty member who has greatly
contributed to the legacy of North Mecklenburg, this grant money shall be used to create a fund
in her name.

● Project Design
This Project is going to focus the funding from this grant on one “Example School”, North
Mecklenburg High School, in Huntersville, North Carolina. This high school is a perfect fit for
the study because the majority of the students enrolled are from low income families and
represent the demographic that the results of this project want to help. The money secured from
this grant will then be set up as a fund that the faculty and staff at North Mecklenburg can apply
for to use on school supplies and classroom resources, that are not acquirable through the
school’s budget. The focus of these resources must be to enhance the learning in the classroom
that the current resources do not allow in order to place North Mecklenburg on the level of
higher income schools within the district. Teachers will then be required to complete a reflection
on the outcomes of the resources purchased, and the benefits they provided to their students.

● Timeline and Personnel

The project will be overseen by myself and my board of advisors who are utilizing this project to
advocate for better funding and equal distribution within the school districts. We will be
overseeing the staff member hired to manage the money and distribute it on behalf of the project
(a Vice Principal or other staff member already inside of the school).

June 2019: Town halls throughout the community explaining what the money from this grant is
being used for, and why my team decided this project was important. The town halls are also for
explaining why North Mecklenburg was chosen over other schools in the district.

July 2019: Training of the staff member in charge of communicating with the school and the
project team on the project. Logistics of working with a school such as background checks,
contracts, etc. completed.

August 2019: Introduction of the project to staff members and teachers in the school by the
project team. Explanation of the application process and the impact this project is predicted to
have on the school and it’s community.

September - May 2019: Teachers apply for the funds and utilize them, completing the reflection
forms after their resources and materials were utilized.
June 2019: Reflection essay written by the project team, letters sent to community, school board,
legislature, and more with the results of our project and the importance of funding schools and
equal distribution of such funds.

● Expected Outcomes:
As a result of this project, the team expects to have two different types of outcomes, for the
immediate outcomes within the school, we expect to see:
● Increased test scores
● Increased teacher enthusiasm and retention
● Reduction of economic strain on teachers

For the long term outcomes within the community, we expect to see:
● Production of well rounded individuals
● Better Society
● Steps toward SDG of Quality Education

● Dissemination of Results:
The project team plans to share our results with the school community, school board, state
legislature, and anyone following the project not directly impacted. The information found
through the project will be mailed in a letter to students and their parents, the school board, and
the state legislature. The team will then speak at a school board meeting with staff from North
Mecklenburg, and petition to speak at the state legislature about the importance of school
funding and equal distribution of resources. Finally, a reflective essay will be released by the
project to team for the public to access and read about the findings of the project.

● Sustainability of the Project

At the end of the twelve months, I will take my findings to the governing bodies of the school
district and state to prove that investing in schools is important, and the increased test scores and
comprehension demonstrates that.

● Budget
SALARY BONUS TO FACULTY MEMBER:
$500
BETH BOGGS LENTZ FUND FOR EQUAL EDUCATION
$4,500
 Citations

How Does North Mecklenburg High Rank Among America's Best High Schools? (n.d.).
Retrieved from
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/north-carolina/districts/charlotte-m
ecklenburg-schools/north-mecklenburg-high-14571

Jana Elise Johnson. (2018, May 17). Retrieved from

https://www.facebook.com/jana.steenhuyse/posts/10160305958815576

Smith, L. (2018, May 23). A CMS teacher wrote about roaches in her classroom. Here's what the
county found. Retrieved from
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article211726129.html

WRAL. (2018, September 05). Find your school: 2017-18 NC school performance grades.
Retrieved from
https://www.wral.com/find-your-school-2017-18-nc-school-performance-grades/1781906
0/#600480