Santa Cruz Education Foundation: HOME

2009-2010 Campaign

Letter from Suz Howells, President
Santa Cruz Education Foundation

Dear Families and Friends of Santa Cruz City Schools,

As school opens for the 2009-10 school year, we continue to face an un precedented California budget crisis with more cuts looming.  It will take all of us, working together, to ensure that our students continue to receive all that they deserve. The Santa Cruz Education Foundation is hard at work protecting the classroom experience for every child in our schools.

How does the Education Foundation differ from your PTA, Home and School Club and Booster Clubs?  While we lend our support to these organizations and efforts like the Sports and Arts Telethon, the Foundation focuses on the educational experience of all of our 7,000 students, pre-school through high school. Our recent efforts resulted in class size reduction in English and Math for every 9th grade student, Life Lab science programs at all four elementary schools, Outdoor Science School for Westside 5th graders and Eastside 6th graders, support for arts programs at every district school – to name just a few of our successes.

This year, the Foundation seeks to support the work of the district’s Wellness Committee as they bring healthy food to our cafeterias and a renewed focus to physical activity. We are also working to expand the Advancement Via Individual Achievement (AVID) program, putting first-time college-goers on track in our middle and high schools and creating a college-bound culture for all students. The Foundation will continue to support district visual and performing arts, Life Lab, Outdoor Science School and bring you the award-winning Eddy news blog as well as an expanded Eddy Awards recognizing our outstanding SCCS individuals and schools.

By becoming an annual supporter of the Foundation today, you can ensure that these valuable programs carry on for all our students. The news from Sacramento indicates that deeper cuts are coming; your tax-deductible support today will allow us to respond to at-risk programs before we lose them.  Since February 2009, our schools have lost over $800 per student in funding from the state; further reductions will put class size, counseling, arts programs and more at risk. You can make a difference. Giving just $1/school day/student for the 180 day school year – that’s only $20 per month – will protect the classroom experience for our deserving students.  With 7,000 students in our district, if every family gave, the collective power of your support will go far to protect public education in Santa Cruz.

I hope you will join us in supporting our wonderful schools. To show our appreciation, donors contributing $180 or more will receive a complimentary Santa Cruz Education Foundation coffee mug and become a Friend of the Foundation. To learn more about the Santa Cruz Education Foundation and stay connected to the latest news, please visit www.sceducation.org and sign up for The Eddy. For your convenience, you may also donate online.

P.S. You can also assist the Santa Cruz Education Foundation through eScrip, by registering your Safeway card and credit/debit cards and adding our group ID number (500001205) to your membership.   It’s free!


2009-2010 Programs

Elementary School (Bay View, Westlake, Gault, DeLaveaga)

 Art and Music Programs
-  Life Lab Science Program
-  Outdoor Science School
-  Wellness

Middle School (Branciforte, Mission Hill)

 Art and Music Programs
-  AVID (Achievement via Individual
   Determination)
-  Outdoor Science School
-  Wellness

High School (Harbor, Soquel, Santa Cruz)

-   Art and Music Programs
-  AVID (Achievement via Individual
   Determination)
-  Wellness

Santa Cruz Education Foundation P.O. Box 8501 Santa Cruz, CA 95061, 831-427-8212 info@sceducation.org