Why Giving Matters

California currently ranks 45 out of 50 states in spending per student based on Education Week’s January 2008 report.  According to a recent Stanford study, K-12 education in California is underfunded by $17 Billion.¹  Even for a basic aid district like the Palo Alto Unified School District, spending per student is $1,000 less than the median spending per student in other top-performing school districts across the country, after adjusting for salary differences.²  PiE’s goal is to help offset the gap in spending on our children’s education, primarily by paying for additional and much-needed PAUSD teachers and staff.

Thanks to our donors’ generosity, in 2007-08, PiE donated $2.4 million in total to Palo Alto Unified public schools: $1.42MM to elementary schools, $880K to the secondary schools, and $100K to the teacher grant program. Last year’s giving resulted in an additional per elementary student and per secondary student.

¹Institute for Research on Educational Policy and Practice (IREPP)
²PiE benchmark study 2006

Here is what our PAUSD Superintendent, principals, and staff say about PiE support:

“Those who support PiE realize that our success as a community is inextricably connected to the quality of our schools and education here in Palo Alto.”
– Dr Kevin Skelly, PAUSD Superintendent

“Without infusion of PiE dollars, we would not have the program we now have at Hoover. PiE helps support a reading teacher, a part time science teacher, 2 hrs/day of math and literacy teachers and 1 hr/week of art for every child at Hoover. These additions help every child across the spectrum.”
- Susanne C. Scott, Principal of Hoover Elementary Principal

“Support from PiE is very important to the JLS community. PiE contributions help us support staffing for critical staff intervention projects that help our students improve their math and reading skills.”
- Don Cox, Principal of JLS Middle School

“We at Gunn are delighted that PiE will be actively fundraising to improve college and career counseling and look forward to implementing some changes and introducing some new ways to reaching out to and supporting students and their families in this important arena.”
- Noreen Likins, Principal of Gunn High School

“If PiE dollars weren’t there, the effect would be an extraordinary decrease in the amount of creative art for our students.”
– Sharon Ferguson, the PAUSD art coordinator

“We intend our programs to complement, not replace, the excellent instruction provided by PAUSD teachers. We offer something to enrich each of the PAUSD science curriculum strands at each grade level.”
– Karen Miel, Director at Junior Museum and Zoo, Palo Alto (Junior Museum provides science programs at many PAUSD elementary schools that are supported by PiE)

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