Ed Foundation presents a check for nearly $15,000

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

The Rockville Centre Education Foundation, a non-profit volunteer organization that raises money with the goal of enhancing the quality of public education by focusing on programs that reach beyond the normal scope of the curriculum, recently presented a check for $14,933 to the school district to help provide for additional programming throughout the year.

Mayda Kramer, president of the Foundation’s executive board, said that with the money raised, they are able to provide grants to teachers so they can implement innovative and creative new programs for students. This includes funding for enrichment clusters at all of the elementary schools and maker spaces throughout the district.

Once the “community spouse” invokes their right to refuse, and all of the other myriad requirements of the Medicaid application are met, the state Medicaid program must pay for the care of the institutionalized spouse.

After Medicaid has been granted, the county may institute a lawsuit seeking to recover the cost of care from the refusing spouse. Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why spousal refusal makes sense, even in light of this risk. First, in many instances, the county never invokes this right. Secondly, these lawsuits are often settled for significantly less than the cost of care provided. Thirdly, the payment to the county can sometimes be deferred until the community spouse dies. As one county attorney told us when agreeing to such an arrangement, “the county is going to be around for a long time”. Finally, even though the county may seek recovery, it is only for the Medicaid reimbursement rate and not the private pay rate. For example, if the private pay rate is $18,000 per month, which is what you would have to pay, the amount Medicaid has to pay is generally a quarter to a third less. The county may only pursue you for the amount they actually paid.

“There is a lot of really exciting things going on and we are thrilled that we can raise the money to be able to give it back to the district,” Kramer said. “This year with the new administration and leadership that came into the district and the elimination of Covid restrictions, there was a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of the school year, so we made an effort to capitalize on that enthusiasm with a fall grant cycle, which is the first time the foundation has ever done that.”

Back in the fall, the organization pre- sented a check for more than $50,000 and helped provide funding for nine grants to provide the maker spaces as part of the district’s Success in Technology Enrichment Literacy Library and Research program.

To help raise the money, which in turn will be given back to the district, the foundation hosts an annual fundraising gala.

“We’re going to have a different feel to this year’s gala than we’ve had in years past,” Jean Harris, one of the foundation directors, said. “There’s no more assigned seating, no more place cards, nothing like that. We’re just going to have lots of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, food stations, raffle baskets and silent auctions.”

Harris also said that the foundation is quickly approaching the million-dollar mark for donations — a milestone for the foundation, which first began raising money for the schools in 1991.

The Rockville Centre Education Foundation will hold its 31st annual fundraising gala/cocktail party on Saturday, April 1, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at Gatsby on the Ocean, 2000 Ocean Parkway in Wantagh. This year’s honorees will include Sharon Sheppard and Rena Riback, co-founder of Sharon’s Pantry, and Ruth S. Fins Award Recipient Peter English of the South Side High School Business Department.

For tickets, reservations, sponsorships, and more information visit RVCEdFoundation.org/Gala.