Amid discussions about negotiations between the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) and the Association of Piedmont Teachers (APT), members of the PUSD School Board have a message.
“To our educators — we hear you and we see you. We want the best for our educators, our students, and our community. We have had countless hours of discussions about how we can fairly compensate our educators and we all agree that that is critical. We’ve discussed how to increase revenues. We’ve discussed cuts, we are reading your emails and we are working toward compensation.” said School Board Member Lindsay Thomasson at the Oct. 11 meeting of the PUSD School Board.
Piedmont Education Foundation’s Giving Campaign is one way to increase revenues, and the Giving Campaign team is urging the community to donate to help support teachers. “This year, $2.3 million of PEF’s $3 million grant to PUSD, about 77%, is earmarked for instructional salaries,” said Giving Campaign Co-Chair Kim Hunter. “The more money we raise, the more we can give.” The Giving Campaign raises money to fund teachers, intervention specialists, paraeducators, wellness, professional development, technology, and other activities that lead to PUSD student success.
“When our budget is so extremely tight and we face really tough decisions, we’re looking for creative solutions,” said School Board Member Hilary Cooper. “The Giving Campaign has a huge goal of $3.5 million but that doesn’t mean we can’t raise more than that. I would love to see our participation go up, especially as a sign of support for our amazing teachers. Every family should give to this important cause because we do have an amazing group of teachers. Please do your part by giving to the Giving Campaign.”
The Piedmont Giving Campaign has raised more than $1.5 million so far this year. The campaign’s goal is to raise another $2 million.
“As part of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, I have been working on enrollment and looking at our peer schools, both public and private, and looking at what the cost is of some of the private schools,” said Thomasson. “For high school in particular, it ranges from $45,000 to $60,000 per year. So, what the Giving Campaign is asking is less than one month’s tuition at a private school. It’s less than one month’s tuition at a lot of preschools. When you put it in that perspective it’s really a bargain.”
Please support our community schools and amazing teachers by donating HERE today.