Sept. 20 was a monumental day for our Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and for our Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation. The Education Foundation received a $4.8 million bequest, half of which will go to the foundation’s general fund and half of which has been designated to establish an arts endowment for the purpose of providing semi-private music instruction, as well as the purchase and maintenance of musical instruments, for economically disadvantaged students throughout the entire school district.
The Education Foundation has a new charge as a result of the school board’s decision to centralize fundraising in 2014-15. It is becoming the entity that will be funding professional development and staff throughout our district. It is important for our community to realize that this gift is just the beginning of the campaign that the Education Foundation is launching to raise the necessary funds for our entire school district. Without funding from the Education Foundation, we will not be able to provide professional development or staff the programs that our students deserve.
The PTAs will continue to raise money for “stuff” for each of their schools, but we all need to contribute to the Education Foundation in order to provide the staff necessary for an outstanding education for our students. I hope that our community will recognize the importance of this campaign and will participate. For more information please go to smmef.org.
Wendy Sidley, President, Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation Board