FAQs

The SCEF Board of Directors is made up of volunteers just like you. Most Board members are parents of children in the San Carlos School District, but Board members also come from the general community as well. All are welcome! All seven public schools are represented on our Board of Directors. Board members bring to SCEF their wealth of professional and personal experience in a number of areas: finance, marketing, technology, event planning, strategic programming, etc. In addition to the Board of Directors, there are hundreds of SCEF volunteers who give their time for projects both large and small. We have everything ranging from one-time volunteers who stuff envelopes for an hour, to parents who volunteer as Ambassadors in their classrooms, to volunteers who spend months planning our signature auction gala Spring Fling, and everything in between!

The SCEF gifts funds to the San Carlos School District each year based on the amount that we raise during the previous fiscal year. Funding goes towards programs that have been identified as priorities through conversations with the San Carlos School District, individual schools, PTAs, and parents. The SCEF Board makes recommendations to the District on what it would like to see funded each year based on these priorities, but the ultimate decision rests with the professional staff at the San Carlos School District and our school board trustees.

You certainly do not have to pay for a public education. However, the alternative would be to settle for the state's version of a bare-bones education, which many parents believe is sub-standard in today's competitive environment. Years of chronic underfunding of public education, plus additional cuts due to the budget crisis last year, have decimated state funding levels for all school districts. Communities that care about creating and preserving high-quality, well-rounded education in their public schools have been forced to raise money locally to supplement the meager allocation from the state. The most successful school districts have robust Education Foundations and pass parcel taxes to provide a stable, long term revenue stream to bridge the gap between state funding and the high quality programs we want for all children.

Both the SCEF and the PTAs play an integral role in supporting our schools. The SCEF raises money to fund instructors and staff such as Librarians, PE Associates, Music Teachers, Literacy Associates, Science support staff, Technology Associates, and Friendship Counselors. This ensures that all schools in the district have the resources to provide comparable educational programming no matter their fundraising capacity, and it strengthens our district as a whole. It also relieves the burden from PTAs from having to raise money for salaries year after year. The PTAs focus on raising money to fund things like field trips, PE equipment, science materials, books and computers that are specific to the needs of their particular school. We strongly encourage you to support both SCEF and your PTA to keep our San Carlos schools strong.

We understand that this is a tough economy for many families. Unfortunately, in recent years the state has greatly reduced the amount of funding it provides per student. In fact, since 2006 this number has shrunk by $1642 per student in San Carlos. That is a 20% reduction. A big hit for our district. In these tough economic times, we do not and cannot expect that each family donate $1642 per child to make up the difference. So the request is for slightly less than half that, $750 per student. Although, whatever you give is greatly appreciated and needed.

We understand that not everyone is able to give the suggested donation amount. A gift of any amount, that is meaningful to your family, is greatly appreciated and will help tremendously. What is most important is that each family make a donation that works with your family budget.