Local school districts are weathering more than a few challenges that affect their ability to provide education programs without sacrificing quality—skyrocketing pension and health care costs within a tax cap environment, for example.

The Bedford Central School District hopes to join other school systems in the region in creating a district-wide foundation to help preserve educational programs and extra-curricular activities for grades K-12.

"We've actually thought about this for years," said school board member Suzanne Grant at a recent board of education meeting.

Grant chairs the board's communications sub-committee, which will head up the planning. She said with the acute financial needs the district is experiencing, the timing felt right to reach out and draw support from a variety of sources in and outside the community. 

"The foundation will be district-inspired and community-driven," she said. 

190 out of 700 local school boards in New York State report having educational foundations in their districts, according to a 2010 New York State School Boards Association survey of its members.

In Westchester County, Mamaroneck, Byram Hills, Irvington and Chappaqua are a few of the more successful examples, said Barbara Bradley, Director of Communications at NYSBBA.

Locally, the Chappaqua School Foundation is well established, having been founded in 1993. It has grown to provide supplemental services in the classrooms, ranging from robotics to SMART boards.

Last year, the neighboring Katonah-Lewisboro school district started a foundation with the goal of disbursing its first grants this Spring. Teachers or other district employees may apply for funds.

An exploratory meeting with the communications subcommittee and active community members is to take place Tues. Jan 24 at the district. Grant told Patch that once the initiative gains some traction, they expected community members would take the lead.

"We are approaching this as a focus group —to help us develop a format for a larger introductory meeting on March 15," she said. The March meeting will serve as the official launch of the organization.

After Grant spoke about plans for the foundation, Board President Susan Wollin voiced her support for the initiative.

"There's so much information available, regionally and locally," she said. "And what we have learned is that a lot of foundations are very sucessful. "It reinforces how much the Fox Lane Boosters Club have done in a short time of existence."

Wollin said the board would be suggesting members of the community who might be interested in helping to organize the foundation.