We have come so far...
In 1956, Ms. Elizabeth Matthews turned the living room of her home into a classroom and 7 deaf children learned to talk. From these beginnings, Magnolia Speech School was established and, for 52 years, has served approximately 3000 hearing impaired and language-disordered children from throughout the country. Approximately 80% of these children learned to communicate so well that they eventually mainstreamed into their local schools to successfully compete with their hearing peers, earn a diploma and, often, move into a higher education setting. Because of the school’s success, it is now nationally recognized for its work. In 2006, Magnolia will celebrate 50 years of quality service to the Jackson community, the State of Mississippi, and the Southeast (as well as other parts of the country). As we approach this anniversary, we intend to renew our commitment to change lives by giving the gift of speech to those who would not develop it otherwise.

At this critical time, Magnolia Speech School is at a crossroad. We can remain a small, private, specialized school who can serve only those who find ways to come to us…or we can ride the momentum of recent accomplishments and notoriety as we commit to goals that will enable us to serve more children in more settings. In a courageous move, the Magnolia Speech School Board of Directors has acknowledged that now is the time to take the road less traveled. We have accepted the challenge to enhance the quality of current services for which the school is noted, while we find ways to offer our staff, our curriculum and our instructional methods to more children who need us. The only way we can achieve such a noble vision is through community support. For it to happen, members of the wide community that Magnolia serves must take ownership in this program and claim responsibility for the child born deaf or neurologically impaired. Magnolia Speech School can only serve as the vehicle for moving these children into the realm of successful oral communication. It is the businessman, the blue collar worker, the civic leader, the minister, the educator, the professional ….it is all those who will stop to consider what it would mean to have a child that couldn’t understand them when they talked or whose voice would never be heard…it is the community that must commit to making this vision a reality.

Our current sources of funding:
The school’s primary support currently includes tuition charges(32% parents and 3% school districts=35%), clinic charges(7%), and philanthropic revenue(58%), including special events, United Way, Foundations, the Scottish Rite Bodies and various other individual and corporate donors. There has been one Endowment Campaign in the School’s history. It was conducted in 1982 and resulted in a one million dollar Endowment Fund controlled by a separate Magnolia Speech School Foundation Board.

Our documented potential:
The school currently has 70 students enrolled with 50 more families receiving services in the Magnolia Parent Infant Program, 10 outpatients coming into our clinic weekly, and over 200 children being evaluated at the school just in the last year. We maintain an ongoing waiting list; currently, there are 17 children on it. We attempt to clear this waiting list as we mainstream students into their local schools. Magnolia is now affiliated with six colleges/universities who send us students as interns and/or student teachers to train in speech pathology, audiology, psychology and education. We are currently inundated with referrals and requests from school districts for training and consultation. Daily, we get phone calls from all over the country from parents who are searching for quality programming that will help their child learn to talk.

Recently, a group of parents in Philadelphia, Pa. conducted a nation-wide search for programs for language-disordered children. They approached our Board of Directors with a proposal, outlining their desire to be self supporting – but to be under the name of Magnolia Speech School because, in their estimation, Magnolia was the most successful program they had found! We agreed that we would train their teachers, share our curriculum and help them establish a beginning classroom under our name. This is one of many stories we could share. It isn’t often that Mississippi takes a lead in the educational realm, but that is exactly what is happening here!

Areas where you can give:

• Scholarship Fund - This type of gift would help offset the sliding scale tuition - which helps all children afford our program, and the actual operating costs incurred for each child. Magnolia has always served a diverse population – racially, culturally and economically. The average Magnolia parent pays $500 monthly (or 32% of the total cost). Our cost per child is $1600 per month ($20,000 per year). Therefore, we supplement approximately $1100 per child per month. With an enrollment of 80 children, this challenges us to raise $1,056,000 in scholarships annually.
• Sponsoring Teachers/Classrooms - Our most urgent need for increased funding is to move salaries into a competitive range. Though our specialized, skilled staff feel “called “ to this work, it is only reasonable to offer them, at the very least, salaries in the range of those in the public schools in Mississippi.
• Capital Improvements - These are one time costs which help us to maintain a safe and comfortable learning environment. Our building use is at capacity. The types of projects listed in this category include basic expansion efforts to meet known demand, as well as regular building/grounds maintenance needs. Examples of projects include improvements and soundproofing for our audiological suite, repair and replacement of ceilings throughout the building, refurbish and refurnish conference room, add basic storage space by putting in an attic floor and/or a portable building, interior painting, carpet throughout the building, expand/repair gym, rework plumbing in south wing restrooms, add therapy rooms/clinc, replace air conditioning units. Magnolia needs to build additional space onto the existing building. It is one hope to build a clinic to better serve our children and those across the state. The clinic would provide therapeutic space for an Occupational Therapist, 2 Speech Pathologist, 2 Audiologist, and our Clinic Director. In addtion, a clinic would "free up" much needed classroom space because currently most of these staff members are working in classrooms. A new clinic would make three classrooms available to children currently on our waiting list. The cost for a new clinic is $300,000. Please note, we do appreciate the donation of time and expertise toward completing any of these projects.
• Endowment Fund - While we do have a small endowment fund started, it has become apparent that we need to build the principle on this fund to insure the school’s future, to continue quality programming and provide services for more children.
• Satellite Programming Numerous requests from both north and south Mississippi for a satellite Magnolia program and the fact that we currently serve 12 babies from the coast, prompt us to propose a satellite classroom on the Gulf Coast by the year 2006. The proposed Satellite Program has the following projected costs: Space for one classroom (with rent at $500 a month for 1 year)$6,000; One teacher $43,190; One Assistant $14,730; and Instructional Supplies, Equipment $5,000; for a total of $68,920.