Palo Altans Donate $4.9 Million to Public Schools Through Palo Alto Partners in Education Foundation

More Than 4,600 Donors Unite To Preserve School Funding and Staffing

(February 27, 2013) PALO ALTO, CA – Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) foundation announced it has presented a $4.9 million check – its largest ever – [pullquote align=”right”]Download a PDF version of this press release.[/pullquote]to the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). More than 4,600 donors united to create the 2013 PiE Annual Gift in order to preserve funding and staffing in their local public schools. The donation demonstrates the shared desire of parents, community members, and local businesses to keep Palo Alto schools competitive, well-rounded and well-resourced.

Donations to Palo Alto schools through PiE underwrite scores of teaching specialists, counselors, and aides each year. This year’s PiE donation will help fund critical initiatives for kids in every grade including: classroom aides; specialists in reading, math, science and the arts; student guidance; college and career counseling; and a rich array of electives ranging from music to industrial tech. Every student in the district benefits from PiE dollars, which are allocated on a per student basis by school level to provide funding at each school.

“This check represents a collective big gift – assembled over many months by hundreds of parent volunteers and thousands of donors – to preserve the excellence of our public schools,” said Terry Godfrey, president of the PiE education foundation. “Working together, we demonstrated once again that we can fund the kinds of programs we want for our children but that the district can no longer afford. These PiE dollars will increase the number of caring adults on our campuses, provide hands-on arts and science and a rich array of electives for kids to explore, and ensure that more counselors are vailable to support all our kids.”

“Palo Altans rightly expect excellence in our schools and have demonstrated their commitment with this gift,” said Dr. Kevin Skelly, superintendent of the PAUSD. “A steady stream of reductions to state education budgets has significantly decreased the government funding allocated to this district – even with the passage of recent ballot propositions supporting education. Donations to our schools through PiE alleviate these cutbacks and serve as a bedrock of financial support.”

PiE Gift Fills Funding Needs at Every School Level

The 2013 PiE Annual Gift will underwrite vital education staff and programs at each school level from elementary through middle and high school.

In elementary schools, PiE dollars will enhance classroom staffing levels as well as science and art enrichment. This includes classroom aides, instructional assistants, reading and math specialists, and staff who support and enrich all students’ learning. PiE funds are also used for elementary science enrichment programs and specialists. Arts instruction funded by PiE includes trained staff to teach Spectra Art, music, and other enriching creative arts.

In middle schools, the gift will financially support both student guidance counselors and electives. PiE grants will fund staff and programs for academic guidance, social and emotional development, student connectedness, and grade-level transitions. They will expand the breadth of electives by underwriting teaching staff and classroom support in courses such as music, creative writing, arts, broadcast journalism, biotechnology and industrial technology.

In the high schools, donations through PiE will increase staffing for counseling, student guidance and added electives. Specifically, college and career counselors will provide advisory and resources that help all students plan wisely for the future. Student guidance counselors will help kids throughout their high school careers, fostering strong teacher-student connections and building assets in our students. Additional career-focused electives funded by PiE will include engineering, career, technology, media and the arts.

About Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE)

Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education foundation dedicated to supporting all Palo Alto public schools. PiE partners with parents, the school district, community members and businesses to raise funds that give all students in PAUSD the best education possible. Since PiE’s inception in 2004-05, it has donated more than $23 million to Palo Alto schools. Parents and community members interested in supporting Palo Alto schools via PiE may visit its website at www.papie.staging.wpengine.com.

Contact

Andrea Fleming, Palo Alto Partners in Education
AndreaFleming@StanfordAlumni.org
650-856-7536

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