Each year in early November, a hardworking crew of Giving Campaign elves (aka a fantastic team of volunteers) fans out across Piedmont to deliver a highly-coveted purple lawn decoration. After this year’s Nov. 1 deadline, families who have contributed to The Giving Campaign will see a sign magically appear on their lawn, signaling the household’s support for our schools and our children.
“We want to encourage all families to donate to help us reach our goal of at least $3 million, which the school district is counting on to keep our budget and programs whole next year,” says Giving Campaign co-chair Christine Wente von Metzsch. Co-chair Colleen Allan adds: “The Giving Campaign is the largest annual fundraiser for our schools, and we rely on contributions from all families in our district in order to keep our class sizes small and our educational programs strong.”
Each year, the funding gap increases between what Piedmont schools receive from government sources and local taxes and what it takes to maintain the quality of education in Piedmont schools. For the 2022-2023 school year, that gap amounts to $2,140 for each child in the PUSD.
Last year, PEF was able to grant over $2.7 million to PUSD – those funds are already hard at work in classrooms during this current school year. A full 64% of that amount maintains PUSD’s low student/teacher ratio, keeping our class sizes small. Health and wellness, including elementary counselors, athletics, and the middle and high school Wellness Center accounts for 15% of the grant, and another 15% was earmarked specifically for student support, including paraprofessionals, classroom aides, and intervention specialists. The remaining 6% funds PUSD’s libraries, art and music, and instructional technology, including Chromebooks.
To participate in the Giving Campaign and help fund our students and schools, visit www.piedmontedfoundation.org/donate/
