Letter: Dollars for Malibu schools

It is hard to believe that summer is over and that school has started. As we begin the school year, it is important that we as a community support our local public schools. We have four amazing schools in our town, but with the numerous state cuts in education in recent years it is our responsibility to step up and provide what the state will not provide. This means supporting The Shark Fund at Malibu High School, the PTAs at Webster, Point Dume, and Juan Cabrillo, and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation. For a dollar a day to the foundation, you can help Malibu’s public schools. 

We are experiencing a shift in fundraising throughout our school district, and in order to make it a success, it is essential that everyone participate in the fundraising campaign this year, and every year. Moving forward, the foundation will be fundraising for the Vision for Student Success, which will provide art classes, reading and math intervention, highly trained teacher aides, teacher training, lower class size in grades K-3, and enrichment for Malibu’s public schools. 

The Shark Fund and PTAs will continue to raise funds at their own schools, but the Education Foundation will now be the only way to provide some of the enrichment that those organizations have provided for in the past. However, in order for the Education Foundation to succeed, our community of Malibu must change its mind-set and participate in this campaign. 

Please support our local schools by contributing to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, The Shark Fund and to local PTAs. 

The Education Foundation is asking for a dollar a day ($365), but more importantly we are hoping for a very high participation rate, so please give whatever you are comfortable giving. The excellence of our schools only helps our community, so whether you have children in our schools or not, we are asking that you support Malibu’s youth by supporting our excellent public schools. 

To support the Education Foundation, visit smmef.org or mail to: Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, 1645 16th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404. 

Wendy Sidley, board president, Santa Monica-Malibu