Fundraising for Education

Fundraising for education creates wealth based inequities in the quality of education students receive. When the Capistrano Unified school district was forced to cut $152 million from it’s budget during the great recession, parents and the public stepped up to support students. Fundraising was never meant to be a permanent revenue stream for on-going educational expenses. Schools who cannot fundraise are going without core educational programs such as art and music.

The PTA has been permanently transformed from an advocacy organization to a fundraising organization. Foundations and Not-for-profits now compete with the PTA and booster clubs to bring in millions in donations for students.

Do school districts have any responsibility to make sure that information being disseminated to the public regarding education funding is accurate?

The following statements are from a foundation web site in the Capistrano Unified School District:

The truth is that the State of California is currently enjoying record high revenues of over $117 billion dollars.

The problem is not a lack of revenue at the State level, the problem is that the State is choosing not to spend revenues on K-12 public education.

The State’s new funding formula limits per pupil funding to 2007-08 levels by the year 2021+ inflation.

In 2007-08 the State had revenues of $105 billion dollars today they have over $117 billion.

The State currently has “surplus revenues”.

The “lack of State funding for education” is by the choice of our Governor and legislature.

The statement that:

“Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking and a change in our total reliance upon government financed education. “

could not be further from the truth.

The California Constitution gives education funding a unique priority above all other state funding obligations by requiring:

“from all state revenues there shall first be set apart the monies to be applied by the State for support of the public school system...” Cal. Const. art. XVI, §8. (Emphasis added)

The Truth - California must adequately fund a quality education for every student BEFORE it funds any other program or entitlement.

The statement that:

“The financial burden is shifting to the community in order to fund the level of education required to meet the standards of the 21st century.”

is false.

Parents and the Public must demand that the State of California up-hold it’s constitutional obligation to all students by providing CUSD with sufficient funding to provide every student with a quality education:

“...opportunity to obtain high quality staff, program expansion and variety, beneficial teacher- pupil ratios and class sizes, modern equipment and materials, and high-quality buildings.”

If you really want to improve the quality of education in CUSD, stop fundraising and start advocating on behalf of students. People For Student RIghts