Piedmont Education Foundation to Award over $3 million to Piedmont Schools

PIEDMONT, California — The Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) is pleased to announce that it will be awarding the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) a grant in the amount of $3,070,000 for use in the 2019-20 school year. PEF is a fundraising organization dedicated to providing sustained financial support to the Piedmont Unified School District. This year PEF led a variety of fundraising and community engagement campaigns, including the Giving Campaign which raised a record-breaking $2.8 million.

The PEF Grants Committee shepherds the annual grant allocation recommendation through close partnership with PUSD and community leadership. The Grants Committee is comprised of representatives from the PEF Board, leaders of Piedmont’s Parents Clubs and Community Support Groups, community members, and PEF and PUSD staff. “We want to be good stewards of the funds raised by the community in considering their distribution, so it is important that we have broad representation and all voices are heard,” said David Ragones, who chaired this year’s Grants Committee. “The grant process is truly a collaborative effort and a testament to the community’s priority on the schools.”

In line with the decisions of prior year’s committees, teachers remain the primary focus of the fund distribution. 69% of the grant will be allocated toward teachers in the 2019-2020 school year. 28% will be used for supporting staff, including counselors, intervention and differentiation specialists, instructional aides, and curriculum development. The remaining 3% will supplement funds provided by Parents Clubs and Support Groups for supplies and services. Parents Clubs continue to allocate funds raised through their organizations for school-site-specific technology, teaching supplies, and teacher professional development. Support Groups focus on program-specific supplies, including technology, art, music, and athletics.

Nicki Gilbert, who co-chaired this year’s Giving Campaign with Cortney Allen, states, “This community values its teachers. Given the funding challenges from the State of California, I’m thrilled that the committee chose to help the school district maintain small class sizes and robust educational programs.”

PEF granted $2,700,000 to PUSD for the current 2018-2019 school year. The additional funds raised this year will be distributed by school site, based on enrollment, and used to help the district meet current salaries. Superintendent Randall Booker is grateful to PEF and the community. “Without parent support, our programs would look vastly different. The funds raised through PEF and the Parcel Tax cover one-third of the district’s budget, allowing us to continue to nurture and challenge our students.”

About the Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF)
Piedmont Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide sustained financial support to the PIedmont Unified School District through fundraising and community engagement. Led by a 25-member volunteer board of directors and supported by a professional office staff, PEF oversees the Giving Campaign, Spring Fling, the Student Directory, and much more. Visit PiedmontEdFoundation.org to learn more.

About PUSD
The Piedmont Unified School District is a student-centered ecosystem that strives to provide an equitable, inclusive and stimulating educational environment for the over 2,500 students at the six school sites in the district – Beach Elementary, Havens Elementary, Wildwood Elementary, Piedmont Middle, Millenium High, and Piedmont High. On California’s standard tests, PUSD is among the highest ranking public unified school districts in the State.