Educational foundation raises $500K
With the the 2016-17 school year now fully underway, La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation board members attended recent Back-to-School nights with a successful kickoff of their current campaign, raising nearly $500,000 as a result of their presentations.
“We have an amazing school district — with stellar academics, robust fine arts, a comprehensive athletic program and the important support systems our kids need to thrive,” stated Josh Epstein, in a news release issued by the foundation this week. “We do all of this with some of the lowest fiscal support of any unified public school district in the state. The difference, however, between our district and the majority of those in California is the support we receive from our community — our school families and our town. We asked parents at Back to School night to contemplate, if we are able to do all of this with less, imagine what we could do with more?”
According to the group, in 2015-16 the foundation raised $2 million from school families and community supporters, earmarked largely to keep elementary class sizes smaller and to improve college counselor student-to-counselor ratios at the high school. Funding will also help make junior high and high school coding and STEM electives available and will ensure that fine arts instruction remains available to elementary students weekly.
“We are so grateful to our school families who understand that the amazing education that is afforded to our kids requires supplemental funding above and beyond what is provided by the state of California,” Epstein stated.
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Carol Cormaci, carol.cormaci@latimes.com
Twitter: @CarolCormaci
