BUTLER TWP — Butler Area School District’s board approved accepting a multimillion dollar endowment that will help it fund a dual enrollment coursework partnership with Butler County Community College and create other funds that benefit students.

The Chen Family Endowment Agreement was approved by the board Monday, June 1. Mei and Herald Chen, 1988 graduates of Butler High School, created the endowment to support a new four-year college scholarship for Butler Area students, opportunities for high schoolers to take classes at Butler County Community College and the district’s music department.

The Veronica L. Chen Scholarship, named for Herald Chen’s mother, will put $1.5 million specifically toward allowing students to participate in the “college within the high school agreement” between Butler and BC3. Qualified high school students can earn post-secondary credits while continuing to fulfill high school graduation requirements.

Previously, there has not been a steady stream of funding for the partnership, superintendent Brian White said. The funding is crucial for providing opportunities for the students eligible for this partnership, he added.

“We’ve had inconsistent funding. That’s been a part of the challenge. We’ve gotten some one-time donations from folks, some trusts in town. The college’s foundation has kicked in some money,” White said. “To date, we have not had to have our kids pay for it. This year, we thought we were actually going to have to and a couple things broke our way.”

Funding from the endowment will also go toward the S. Andrew Chen Scholarship, named after Herald Chen’s father, which will put $2.5 million toward students’ four-year college tuition.

The Harding Whitacre Music Endowment, funded with $500,000, will go toward the needs of the district’s music department. It is named after Harding “Corky” Whitacre, a longtime teacher at Butler Area School District.