Future Search, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 7Generating Money with Future Search

The town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, more than doubled in size between 1977 and 1992. In the latter year, a referendum to limit taxes had wiped out school employee raises three years in a row. In a 1992 Future Search, residents established that education was critical for the town’s prospects. As a result, they raised their school budget 12 percent, restoring cuts in staff and programs. Within a year a local business had donated $350,000 for computers, technology, and teacher training, and $300,000 more was pledged. FSN facilitator Janice Williams got our attention when she told us this story. We became aware of a phenomenon we had not planned for or expected, so we began collecting stories about Future ...