FAQs

The Giving Campaign is the largest annual fundraiser for the Piedmont Unified School District. Led by a committee of volunteers and the Piedmont Education Foundation, the Giving Campaign takes place each year in the fall and raises funds for the next school year. You can expect to see mail, email, messages, signage, and other materials from the Giving Campaign during the campaign.

What PUSD needs to spend to give our children a well-rounded and rigorous education is far greater than funding from state and local taxes. If every parent participates in the Giving Campaign, PUSD can continue to offer the programming that benefits our children the most.

The Giving Campaign is an annual fundraiser to help fill the gap between government funding and local taxes and what is needed to educate our children. Our objective, however, is not just to plug our annual budget shortfall, but to increase our long-term investment in our schools so that we can continue to build extraordinary programs that encourage innovation, creativity and scholarship among our students. We strive to do this through an endowment fund that will provide PUSD with an annual payout from the fund.

The Giving Campaign raises funds for all 6 Piedmont schools. Spring Fling fundraising supports specific programs at our elementary schools.  We encourage elementary school families to participate in both the Giving Campaign and Spring Fling.

Traditionally, PEF funds “staff” — teachers and ongoing program at all six schools.  Parents’ Clubs and support groups fund “stuff” — site-specific projects like technology, student activities, capital needs, classroom materials, teacher support, etc.  PEF funding impacts every Piedmont student and all six schools.  Unlike Parent Clubs whose members are parents of students at a specific school, PEF’s volunteers and donors are both current K-12 parents from all schools and community members whose children are no longer in school.  We all understand that in order for any school to thrive, the district must thrive.  And, a strong commitment to supporting excellent schools is at the heart of our community.

There are many ways for our community to keep informed of both school and PUSD activities:

• Parents Clubs: First and foremost, we encourage parents to get involved in school Parent Clubs. If you can’t attend meetings, reach out to the Parent Club presidents.  They are a great source of information.
• Piedmont Unified School Board: School Board meetings are open to the public and are the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. They are also broadcast on the City of Piedmont’s government access channel, KCOM-TV, Channel 27. Board agendas and minutes can be found on the PUSD website, piedmont.k12.ca.us
• Piedmont Education Foundation: An incorporated not-for-profit organization governed by a board of directors, the PEF Board works directly with the community, parents and the school district. More information can be found at PiedmontEdFoundation.org and you are welcome to reach out to our Board of Directors with any questions or concerns.
• The Piedmont Portal: A great online resource connecting the community and our schools. You can visit their website at piedmontportal.org and sign-up for weekly email updates.
• Community/School meetings: Besides Parent Club meetings, there are many meetings open to both parents and the public that delve further into the plans and future of our schools. We encourage you to attend a Budget Advisory meeting, LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) meeting, or a Site Council meeting. All meetings are listed on the PUSD and school websites.