The Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation is roughly $1 million short of its fundraising goal heading into the last week of its campaign to get $4 million to reduce class sizes, hire more teachers’ aides and provide arts instruction for every elementary grade.
Officials with the Ed Foundation are encouraging families, community members and business leaders to donate to the Vision for Student Success before the Jan. 31 deadline.
In November 2011 the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education designated the Ed Foundation as the sole organization to raise money for personnel and professional development at all schools. The foundation is charged with raising $4 million annually.
The Vision for Student Success was borne out of that policy and will be enacted in 2014-15. The program focuses on reduced class sizes in second and third grade, training for aides, literacy coaches, art instruction for every elementary grade and teacher professional development.
The switch to centralized fundraising was very controversial, with some parents upset that money donated would not necessarily go directly to their child’s school. Some said they would stop donating altogether and instead provide supplies or other materials not subject to the new policy.
Supporters said centralized fundraising will even the playing field across the district by pooling resources.
To learn more about the fundraising campaign, visit www.smmef.org.
This story originally appeared in the Santa Monica Daily Press.