Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) Gives $5.75 Million to Palo Alto Public Schools

Nonprofit foundation powered by parent volunteers aims to overcome challenge of funding an excellent public school education

(March 20, 2018) PALO ALTO, CA – Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE), announced today they will give $5.75 million to the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) for use in the 2018-19 school year. The gift was made possible by a parent community that is committed to helping all PAUSD children receive an excellent education beyond what is possible with public funding alone.

“Our parent community is the heart of PiE and I’m so proud of the hard work and time given by volunteers to ensure that PAUSD schools can provide the excellent and well-rounded education we want for our children,” said Colleen Gormley, President of PiE’s Board of Directors. “Thousands of families gave this year and every single donation played an important role in supporting our schools.”

PiE funds are allocated to all 18 PAUSD school locations on a per pupil basis, and allow the principal at each school to direct resources towards staffing the programs that matter most for their students. PiE funds contribute to three focus areas: STEM, the Arts, and Wellness and Support and represent 85,000 hours of support and enrichment and full or partial salaries for more than 250 staff members.

After weathering a challenging fundraising environment in 2016, PiE doubled down on efforts to illustrate the need for PiE and the role the nonprofit plays in offering Palo Alto students an education that is commensurate with high performing districts elsewhere in the country. New fundraising tactics were developed, such creating a short video called “Only Possible with PiE” to help explain the importance of PiE for overcoming the negative impact Proposition 13 has had on California public school funding.

“Great schools don’t just happen. School districts throughout California rely on education foundations to fund programs people expect from top-ranked schools,” said Linda Lyon, Executive Director of Palo Alto Partners in Education, “Palo Alto students benefit from a caring community that is clearly vested in helping PAUSD deliver an education that prepare students for their future in today’s world.”

Donations to Palo Alto schools through PiE make an importance difference at every school and grade level, from pre-kindergarten through high school.

  • Elementary: STEM – Science, technology, and math enrichment; The Arts – Art and music programs; Wellness and Support – Classroom Aides, Counseling, and social-emotional learning.
  • Middle: STEM – Science, technology and math electives; The Arts – Music, choir, and art electives; and Wellness and Support – Guidance counseling and transition programs.
  • High School: STEM – Science, engineering and math electives; The Arts – Graphic Arts electives; and Wellness and Support – College and Career counseling, guidance counseling, mindfulness, and transition programs.

ABOUT PALO ALTO PARTNERS IN EDUCATION (PiE)
Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education foundation devoted exclusively to raising money for all Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) schools, and the only foundation dedicated to raising funds to pay for PAUSD teachers and staff. Through PiE’s partnership with parents, the school district, community members and businesses, PiE raises funds to help give all students in PAUSD an enriched and fulfilling education. Since PiE’s inception in 2004-05, it has donated over $53 million to Palo Alto schools. Learn more about PiE by visiting the Palo Alto Partners in Education website: https://papie.org.

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