Peninsula Education Foundation

Lightwaves Fall 2013

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The Newsletter of the Peninsula Education Foundation A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R IN THIS ISSUE: THE TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO DONATE PEF FINANCIAL FACTS ELEMENTARY P.E. THIS FALL THE TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO DONATE Recently, the PEF sent a survey to school families about our programs and fundraising efforts. We received a lot of positive feedback, but also some apprehensions about donating to PEF. We share below the top 10 reasons people mentioned they don't donate and address some of these concerns. We always appreciate constructive comments, so if you have any input, please contact us. As always, thanks for your support! I GIVE DIRECTLY TO MY CHILD'S SCHOOLS/ PTA/ BOOSTER CLUB Indeed, all of these groups are important in assuring a world class education. But, PEF is the only organization that can raise funds for salaries. PEF pays for people. Why is this important? Because in survey after survey, parents care about class size only second to school safety. And though some insist that class size doesn't matter, PEF believes that smaller class sizes translate into a more effective learning environment and allow teachers to pay more individual atten- tion to each child. PEF also supports ALL schools in the district equally. Why does this matter? If your child is in elementary school, he/she will soon benefit from the quality of the interme- diate and high schools. In addition, we all know other school districts that have one or two good schools but don't have the quality throughout, leaving parents to make a decision about moving or switching to private school at some point. Each school in the PVPUSD is highly regarded; an incredible 17 schools! No other academically comparable district holds a candle in terms of number of school sites to support! Manhattan Beach has 7 school sites. La Cañada only has 4! Yes, PTAs and Booster Clubs are impor- tant but they pay for site specific needs like materials, field trips, athletics and more. PEF helps maintain the quality of the entire PVPUSD by supporting every school, every child. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE A MAJOR DONOR Most of our donors are not major donors ($1,500 or more annually). Did you know that PEF's suggested donation amount is $500 per student? Other education foundations have a I PAY FOR THE SCHOOLS THROUGH MY PROPERTY TAXES. Your basic property taxes go to Sacramento and only a small portion comes back to our schools. The parcel tax designated for schools does stay local, but it's much less than what is needed to keep our schools among the best. Other high performing districts have a parcel tax for schools ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 – that's three to six times as much as our parcel tax ($382 per parcel)! We shouldn't take our great schools for granted because we pay property taxes. Our PVPUSD schools are one of the reasons families move to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Trulia.com ranks the PVPUSD as the third most sought after school district in Los Angeles after La Cañada and San Marino - each of which have far fewer school sites to fund than we do.

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