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This year, the Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation (PPIE) raised a record-high $644,000 for local schools.
The funding raised through PPIE’s Annual Giving Fund Campaign surpasses last year’s by over $100,000. Much of the money will go toward intervention specialist programs in the 2018-19 school year, according to the organization’s executive director Steve McCoy-Thompson.
“Thank you very, very much, Steve, for all you do for us,” said Steve Maher, a PUSD trustee, at the May 22 board meeting when McCoy-Thompson presented the board with a ceremonial check. “I don’t think we would make it without you.”
“Yes, thank you very much,” added board vice president Valerie Arkin. “It’s wonderful that we can put that money to good use for things for our kids in the district.”
PPIE is a local nonprofit that supports Pleasanton schools through year-round fundraising efforts.
The organization’s Giving Fund is supported through direct donations from parents and employer matching funds, along with proceeds from the annual Run for Education, which was held April 15.
“PPIE focuses on funding supplemental staff to support our students and teachers,” McCoy-Thompson said. “What’s important is that our funding is guided by school principals, teachers and parents who determine how the staff are best utilized at each school. We are grateful to our amazing volunteers, corporate sponsors and parents and we are honored to support our incredible Pleasanton schools.”
This year’s donation will be divvied up among various sectors throughout the district:
* $240,000 to fund intervention specialists in math, technology and English language, including one full-time specialist at each elementary school.
* $97,000 for extra librarian hours to keep libraries open at recess and lunch.
* $92,000 for on-site IT specialists.
* $85,000 for more support counselor and librarian hours at Foothill and Amador Valley high schools, along with support for Village High School and the Harvest Park and STEAM preschools.
* $42,000 in student and teacher grants for STEAM projects.
* $38,000 for round-trip bus transportation for outdoor education at all elementary schools, provided by Black Tie Transportation.
“Building excellence throughout our school system requires a community effort,” said Stephen Hilton, PPIE board president. “PPIE is grateful to the individuals, families and businesses whose generosity helped us raise more money for schools than ever before. We hope to build on that momentum as we look ahead to next year.”
Great job! Schools in Pleasanton are top notch. My children have been through a couple excellent school districts in the Bay Area, including Sunnyvale and Los Gatos, and Pleasanton stands out as superior in many ways. However, the safety and dilapidated grounds is a high concern. There are trip hazards and safety issues all over. For example, take a look at all the uneven pavement at Harvest Park, not to mention the tiered lunch area where tables are pushed up against a ledge. It only takes a second for a student to fall off the ledge and have a serious injury. Are there any plans to fix this? This has been brought to administrators attention many times over the years, to no resolve. The lunch area is designed as an auditorium, so when the grounds specialist came in to evaluate, it was evaluated as an auditorium, not an over crowded lunch area that is heavily used.They painted lines and put up some railings, but still tiered and unsafe. It should be leveled and the risks are high for serious injury. Not to mention the trip hazards are visible and apparent to anyone who gives them a moments thought.
These funds should be raised to enhance education and the experiences around it. i.e. instead of just learning about something – getting access to a lab to experience and apply it. Instead we’re talking about these funds use against fundamentals – reading programs, facilities sustaining…….we’re providing food and sustanence to a junkie so they can buy crack.
Thank you to those that continue to give – it really does feel like a hostage situation if you have children actively in the school system. Any substantial change isn’t going to come in time while they’re in school, and the system has to fail in order for it to improve, and not parent wants their kid to experience that.
Would like to see major improvement in grounds, they are so old and in need of major safety upgrades. If you are on campus, just look around at all the safety issues. Academically the schools are pretty strong.
Lunch area at Harvest Park is a huge danger. One step in the wrong direction student could fall off the ledge and suffer serious injury. Or worse, some areas have a step up and then a ledge. Have been to many school districts in the Bay Area and have never seen such hazardous grounds. Was hoping increased funding, tha administration would make this overcrowded, heavily used area a priority. They are aware of it. Aside from grounds, which is a big deal, it is difficult to find top schools on the Bay Area and Pleasanton does offer a strong school district.
I agree with Pleasanton Parent that school district is using PPIE donations (which have been incredibly generous – in the $600K range per year!) To pay for things like Library hours and Tech Site Specialist, which to me are necessities to run a school district properly, not extras.
But without the donation dollars, the school district says we don’t have enough money to cover these items… so we are sort of stuck in the middle.
How does a responsible school budget NOT include libraries and tech specialist to keep the network running, computers functional etc… and then rely on donation money that ideally should be spent on “extras” to enhance the student experience. Or, are we as school district really that broke? Could be.
There must be something in the current annual budget that is less a priority then having the library open and technology working and properly maintained at the school site.
Or as I mentioned we are really in bad shapes fiscally 🙁
@Pleasanton Parent,
What kind of “substantial change” are you talking about? I wasn’t aware that Pleasanton residents wanted something like that — They are generally very happy with their schools. Are you saying they aren’t? That the schools are failing in some way?
@Parent,
AVHS grounds could definitely use some attention.
BobB
– I’m saying the schools are using ppie funds which should be used to make schools better than baseline, for basic items our standard taxes should already cover. We’re allowing the school to funnel and shift money and backfill with donations instead of enhancing education with donation dollars