School Funding Ch 3: What can you do?

This email is part of a series of three from MEF entitled "Funding Our Schools." The purpose of this series is to educate and empower our community as we partner together to fund our schools.

In case you missed it:

Chapter 1: The State Budget

Chapter 2: Local School Budgets

We can't control how the state's budget or how the state funds our schools, but we do have some control over local funding by contributing to MEF.

Make Your Contribution Here

Our schools rely on community-funded MEF grants and parcel taxes to make up over 20% of their budgets. These dollars are allocated primarily to personnel fulfilling key programmatic positions.

At the Moraga School District, MEF grants are allocated primarily to personnel fulfilling key programmatic positions, including:

4 library media assistants
3 elementary music teachers
1 JM music teacher
3 counselors
2 elementary science teachers
2 art teachers
10 elective sections at JM
1 wellness intake specialist
1 writing tutor at JM
4 elementary reading tutors

In total, 27 staff members are funded or partially funded through MEF donations.

$1.47M of this year's $1.6M grant is spent on essential personnel.

At Campolindo, a large part of the MEF grant goes towards funding an impressive depth and breadth of of classes, ensuring that students can find their passion and explore it fully. MEF grants also support essential programs such as:

Department grants for supplies, materials, and equipment
Redesign of the library
The College & Career Center
The Wellness Center
Freshman Support Program for 9th grade transition
1:1 technology
Peer-to-peer tutoring

$332,500 of this year's $950,000 grant is spent on department grants, impacting every student, every day.

So far, donations to the 2023-2024 MEF Giving Campaign total about $1,830,000. That's about 61% of the $3,000,000 goal. As a community, we need to get much closer to the fundraising goal of $3M if we want to fund a grant to our schools of $2,550,000 next year.

And as expenses continue to go up, maintaining the same grant level pays for less and less. That is why our goal is $3M - to continue to provide meaningful funding for our schools, MEF will need to increase its grants in the years ahead.

Public Education is Free, But an Excellent Public Education is Not.

More families must contribute to this community effort if we are going to achieve our fundraising goals. Participation in this year's Giving Campaign is down compared to participation at this time last year - and we are far off from last year's total participation of 59% and our participation goal of 100%.

100% of students benefit from MEF grants - let's achieve 100% participation in supporting them.

The recommended contribution for families is $1,500 per student, per year. But what's most important is that you participate - so please give at a level that is right for you.

And if you'd like to spread your contributions out over time, you can set up monthly payments on our donations page.

You can take back control over our local school funding by contributing to the community-funded MEF grants.

Click the button below to make a one-time contribution, set up a monthly contribution, or pledge to contribute later in the campaign. Thank you!

How You Can Help

Correction: Chapter 2: Local School Budgets should have said the following about Prop 28 funding: While our schools don't receive any additional funding this year, starting next year they will receive an amount equal to 1% of the K-12 share of the minimum guarantee to be used to employ staff and supplement arts education. This is subject to an annual audit.

Moraga Education Foundation

moragaeducation.org

MEF@moraga.k12.ca.us