During public comment at the Oct. 7 Manchester-Essex Regional School Committee meeting, resident Dawn Garden said a $5,500 donation designated in the will of former Essex Elementary teacher June Fulton has sat in the district’s accounts for about 10 years without being used as a scholarship.

Garden said she and another local volunteer, Sue Luckin, had been named in paperwork to administer a scholarship for teachers’ advanced degrees, but that paperwork and probate records were not fully implemented. Garden requested the committee resolve the issue and add interest accrued to the fund.

District staff reported they had located records indicating the donation arrived some years ago (the deposit appears to have originated in the early 2000s and was received in a later batch), and that the money was deposited into a district “gift account” for safekeeping. Staff said the deposit arrived with an attorney’s letter (2015 was cited in the discussion as a date when an attorney contacted the district) indicating it was intended for a teachers’ scholarship, but the district does not itself administer scholarships and has no designated application process or custodian for such funds.

The superintendent’s office said it has cooperated with legal counsel and recommended staff and the donor’s representative coordinate to determine the appropriate custodian and distribution process. Staff mentioned several local organizations that historically manage scholarships (Manchester Essex Education Fund; Friends of EES) as possible custodians willing to administer a teacher-focused scholarship if the donor’s intent and probate instructions allow transfer. Committee members asked Garden to meet with district staff and volunteers to provide the paperwork she has; staff said once a proper administering organization is identified, the district will distribute principal and any accrued interest per legal counsel’s guidance.

No formal vote was taken; staff said they will follow up with Garden and counsel to resolve the matter.