The Foundation for Saline Area Schools would like to “go pro.”

The FSAS Board of Trustees has proposed hiring a full-time executive director to take the foundation to the next level.

The foundation, which awards grants to teachers and helps fund educational programs and initiatives at Saline Area Schools, garnered $80,000 in donations in 2010.

With an executive director, the FSAS board envisions more than doubling its revenue.

Its goal is to reach $200,000 in annual donations by the end of three years, said Trustee Reid Paxton.

“We think there is a tremendous amount of untapped resources that we can’t get to as a completely volunteer staff,” added Trustee Dennis Valenti, who co-presented the FSAS’ idea to the Board of Education Tuesday night.

“We believe we have reached our limit and that in order to move forward and to continue to grow, we need to turn to professional staff.”

The duo requested forming a partnership with the Saline administration to fund the initial hiring of a director and for continued, joint oversight of the individual.

They estimated the start-up cost at $100,000, which would include the director’s salary, a small operating budget and additional promotional or marketing expenses for new donation drives.

Paxton said the FSAS Board of Trustees has done a substantial amount of research looking at the success of other educational endowments locally and throughout the state to see how they are run.

He said since employing a full-time director last year, Ann Arbor Public Schools has increased its donations by $600,000. Likewise, East Grand Rapids, a district on the west side of the state that is similar to Saline in size, doubled its revenue to $2 million by bringing on paid staff.

Both Ann Arbor and Dearborn’s foundations recently were able to secure multi-year financial commitments from the districts they serve, Paxton added. Northville received a $1-million donation from a single benefactor to hire its executive director, while Novi is attempting a similar partnership to what the FSAS Board of Trustees is proposing, he said.

If the Saline Board of Education approves partnering with the foundation, the FSAS would require from the district:

• $50,000 in funds to be put toward the initial costs.
• Space in the Liberty School building to house operations.
• Payroll, benefits and insurance services through SAS administration.
• A decision by Feb. 1.

“We really want to get going, so we are in a hurry,” Paxton said, adding the Board of Trustees would like to begin interviewing potential candidates in the spring of 2012 and have a director in place prior to the foundation’s fall grant cycle.

If Saline agrees to partner with the nonprofit organization, the FSAS will bring to the table:

• $50,000 in funds to be put toward the initial costs.
• A budget and business plan.
• Experienced leadership by the FSAS board.
• A three-year commitment to achieving sustainability.

The Foundation for Saline Area Schools began in 1987. But the need for its services has grown in recent years.

With Michigan’s failing economy and K-12 budget crisis, teachers and administrators are relying more heavily upon the FSAS to supplement what limited money the district can provide, Valenti said.

Fellow Trustee Kim Van Hoek also advocated in favor of hiring a full-time director. She said it was not until she joined the board that she understood “raising funds is a skill, just like lawyering or selling houses or working for the universities.”

Van Hoek said if the foundation can find and hire someone with expertise in fundraising, the organization could do “so much more” for Saline’s public school children.

“If (the partnership between SAS and the foundation) doesn’t happen, maybe we are going to be able to keep up the same level of giving that we have been, but we are not going to grow as effectively and efficiently as we could,” she said. “And you are going to burn out the people you have in place (on the FSAS board).”

Members of the Saline Board of Education expressed interest in considering the FSAS’ proposed partnership.

Superintendent Scot Graden said the item would be listed for discussion again on the Jan. 10 agenda and likely would be voted on at the Jan. 24 meeting.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.