The San Carlos Education Foundation gifts funds to the San Carlos School District each year based on the amount that we raise during the previous fiscal year. Funding goes towards programs that have been identified as priorities through conversations with the San Carlos School District, individual schools, PTAs, and parents. The SCEF Board makes recommendations to the District on what it would like to see funded each year based on these priorities, but the ultimate decision rests with the professional staff at the San Carlos School District and our school board trustees.
You certainly do not have to pay for a public education. However, the alternative would be to settle for the state’s version of a bare-bones education, which many parents believe is sub-standard in today’s competitive environment. Years of chronic underfunding of public education, plus additional cuts due to the budget crisis in recent years, have decimated state funding levels for all school districts. Communities that care about creating and preserving high-quality, well-rounded education in their public schools have been forced to raise money locally to supplement the meager allocation from the state. The most successful school districts have robust Education Foundations and pass parcel taxes to provide a stable, long term revenue stream to bridge the gap between state funding and the high quality programs we want for all children.
Both SCEF and the PTAs play an integral role in supporting our schools. SCEF raises money to fund core programs such as:
We raise money across the entire district for two important reasons:
PTAs raise money for events and materials that are site-specific, including teacher mini-grants, assemblies, field trips, PE equipment, library books and computers. We strongly encourage you to support both SCEF and your PTA to keep our San Carlos schools strong.
We understand that not everyone is able to give the suggested donation amount. A gift of any amount, that is meaningful to your family, is greatly appreciated and will help tremendously. What is most important is that each family make a donation that works with your family budget.
The SCEF Board of Directors is made up of volunteers just like you. Most Board members are parents of children in the San Carlos School District, but Board members also come from the general community as well. All are welcome! All seven public schools are represented on our Board of Directors. Board members bring to SCEF their wealth of professional and personal experience in a number of areas: finance, marketing, technology, event planning, strategic planning, etc. In addition to the Board of Directors, there are hundreds of SCEF volunteers who give their time for projects both large and small. We have everything ranging from one-time volunteers who stuff envelopes for an hour, to parents who volunteer as Ambassadors in their classrooms, to volunteers who spend months planning our signature auction gala Spring Fling, and everything in between!
