Not so long ago, parents and community members were asked to contribute money to schools for "extras," such as a government class trip to Washington, D.C., or a new scoreboard for the football field.
Today, parents and community members are besieged with requests to help provide the "basics" - art and music programs, sports, books, paper, pencils and even teacher salaries. To meet these fundraising demands, communities are forming nonprofit foundations.
More than 400 of the state's 1,000 school districts have private educational foundations, some of which contribute thousands of additional dollars per child. In a recent survey commissioned by the National PTA and QSP Reader's Digest, nearly half said their schools rely on proceeds from fundraising to pay for items that would in normal times be covered by state money.
Even school districts in affluent areas are suffering. In Huntington Beach City School District, parents are being asked to contribute $200 per child to reduce K-3 class size, preserve 25 teaching jobs that may be lost next year and restore 27 positions eliminated this year.
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Brianna Roms and Mario Olivares participate in a class discussion with teacher Dana Tomlinson at Emory Elementary in South Bay.
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When Scotts Valley near Santa Cruz faced a $300,000 budget deficit last year, the district eliminated $100,000 from instructional supplies, including paper, pens, and crayons and even cleaning materials. Community members formed a foundation - the 4 Schools Fund - which raised $400,000 in donations and saved many teaching jobs.
"Now the district is looking at a $950,000 deficit, and it's not going to be pretty," says Krista Patterson, president of the Scotts Valley Education Association (SVEA). "We're not looking at losing fluff. We're looking at eliminating class size reduction at all grade levels, and perhaps seeing counselors, librarians, music and art go by the wayside. It's very, very scary."
Raising that amount of money might be possible in Scotts Valley. In poor communities, it would be next to impossible.
Those critical of establishing community foundations say it creates an unfair system in which wealthier communities with high levels of parent involvement can raise more money than other districts, thereby widening the gap between rich and poor.
"When Proposition 13 passed, it reduced taxes for people in the higher income bracket, making it possible for wealthy people to funnel money into local schools (through foundations) and not be burdened with poorer schools statewide," says Joel Spring, author of several books on school finance and the private sector.
"I don't disagree that it may be unfair and makes things inequitable," says Patterson in Scotts Valley. "But foundations are made up of volunteers, so how do you stop that? As a teacher, I selfishly want to save all these things in my district. I want to educate my students the best way I can. If I can get help from my community, I'm not going to say no to that. I don't think any of us can say no to that."
Jane Hoffman, an SVEA member who serves on the foundation board in Scotts Valley, says there is a lot of pressure to raise money. "We have strong parent support, but I'm not sure how much the parent community understands how desperate the budget crisis is for this coming year."
"There's definitely a lot of pressure on parents here," says Patterson. "Some parents are not as affluent as others, and are not able to donate. I think people do as much as they can, because everyone wants what is best for their child."
School districts often rely on foundations to take the place of state funds, when the money falls through, it can be devastating. It's happening now in Fresno, where the schools' community foundation recently announced it was shutting down after nearly 20 years.
"This will have an impact," says Fresno Teachers Association President Sherry Woods. "The foundation was very supportive and teachers will be disappointed that it's no longer there." The foundation has provided schools with about $650,000 over the years.
Meanwhile, Central Unified School District in northwest Fresno has just started a foundation. Already, it has helped teachers by providing money for professional development, helping teachers comply with federal requirements under No Child Left Behind.
"Hopefully, the new foundation can help us with sports, arts and even extra reading materials for our English language learners," says Lyn Del Province, president of the Central Unified Teachers Association. "Foundation money can be very important if it's used in the right way." She plans to make sure that teachers have plenty of input.
While foundation money can be a godsend to schools, say teachers, it is also a burden that communities should not have to undertake.
"I don't think it's fair to expect parents and community members to do so much," says Patterson in Scotts Valley. "We should expect our state to take care of schools in an adequate way."
