SALEM — Dominion, the owner of the Salem Harbor Station power plant, is giving $1 million to the Salem public schools to support science, technology, engineering and math programs, the company announced yesterday.
It also is donating $100,000 each to two groups that work with the schools, the Salem Education Foundation and Salem CyberSpace.
"We're having Christmas five days early," Mayor Kim Driscoll said in the community room at Salem Five Bank, which was packed with school and community leaders.
The surprise announcement drew a standing ovation from the crowd, which included Congressman John Tierney, Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry of Peabody, state Rep. John Keenan of Salem and schools Superintendent William Cameron.
"This really is a transformational gift," said Driscoll, who is chairwoman of the School Committee.
The news comes as the city and state struggle to fund education programs and brace for anticipated large and painful budget cuts next fiscal year.
"Right now, government finds itself in a real pickle when it comes to money," Berry said, "so having something like this occur is right out of heaven."
The gift comes just weeks after Dominion confirmed its intention to close the Salem coal- and oil-fired plant in five years if scheduled tough federal environmental regulations go into effect. A company official stressed that there is no connection between the two events.
"We've been talking about this specific grant for more than six months," said Dan Weekley, the managing director of Northeast government affairs.
The donation also is unrelated to the $4.5 million Dominion pays the city in taxes and a community host fee, Weekley said.
Weekley characterized the company's charitable gift as one of the largest the Virginia-based energy firm has ever made to a municipality.
"We want this to be a legacy gift," he said. "We want this to grow over time."
Cameron said he will recommend that the School Committee create an endowment so the funds can be used over many years to support special programs and teacher training in science, technology, engineering and math. The grant is aimed at students in grades one to eight, Dominion said.
"This is a windfall for us," Cameron said. "We can use the money for many years ..."
For the Salem Education Foundation, which is run by parents and community members, the $100,000 gift represents two to three times its annual fundraising total. The nonprofit provides mini-grants to teachers for enrichment programs in the schools not covered by the budget.
"The stage is now set to fulfill a critical piece of our mission — to work with the district and our community partners to identify and advance the best educational practices for our diverse set of students," said Sarah Morrill, the foundation president and a parent of two children at Saltonstall School.
Salem CyberSpace, which has a Lafayette Street office, helped 100 youngsters last year, many from low-income, non-English-speaking families. It focuses on science, math and technical subjects, and also has English literacy programs and provides college counseling.
Driscoll and others praised Dominion for this large grant and for its support of a number of community programs over the years.
"They have been a wonderful partner," Keenan said. "There has been no other corporation in the city that has stepped up to the plate" as much as Dominion.
As the $1.2 million check was being unveiled to much fanfare, Driscoll said, "This is the closest any of us will come to the Publishers Clearing House" sweepstakes.
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