Foundation hands $575,000 to LVUSD

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

Las Virgenes Education Foundation presented a $575,000 check to Las Virgenes Unified School District’s Board of Education at last week’s board meeting. It brought to fruition 10 months of dedication, sacrifice and hard work to help maintain programs and educational services that were threatened by a state budget crisis that’s taking a toll on public schools.

Board president Terilyn Finders was teary-eyed as she spoke about the fundraising success of the Foundation, and she thanked LVEF president Debbi Molnar and vice president Stuart Selter for their ongoing support.

"We’re so excited that you will help all of our students face the challenges," Finders said, adding that she and the entire school board wanted to celebrate their success.

Molnar credited the board for allowing the Foundation to evolve. "We all took a leap of faith together, decided to trust each other and let the process unfold," she said.

Molnar then recounted and thanked every person, organization, business and student for their contribution, including principals, teachers, administration and staff who "made personal donations to the campaign."

She said that PFAs and PFCs organized informational school meetings to get the word out on the district’s financial needs, while rallying volunteers to staff phone banks and stuff envelopes.

Real estate firms and individual sales agents were thanked by Molnar, who said that they "supported this campaign to the tune of over $100,000." She added that Paramount Pictures Corporation teamed with Regal Entertainment Group and Prudential California Realty of Calabasas to sponsor a screening of "Rugrats Go Wild," which raised nearly $20,000.

Local chambers of commerce (Agoura/Oak Park/Las Virgenes, Calabasas and Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village) shared their membership lists so the Foundation could mail information explaining the plight of the school district and ask for help, Molnar said.

The cities of Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village entered into a matching gift agreement with the Foundation and raised $200,000. "We cannot thank these cities enough for making education a high priority and for working with us to save so much," she said.

Molnar also recognized The Acorn and publisher/owner Jim Rule’s support for the successful fundraising campaign. The Acorn ran endorsement advertisements and printed a thermometer each week, depicting a gauge of how much money was raised.

Selter recounted his history with the Foundation, the schools and district personnel. He said, "I volunteer because I appreciate the quality education my children received." He added that he donates his time and effort because he appreciates "the vision and goals our school board members have for quality education" and because of the "teachers, administrators and staff who deliver quality every day to our students."

Two-thousand people made the fundraising efforts a reality, said Selter. He also thanked Molnar for convincing him that he "could be a success at professional begging."

Selter ended his speech with thanks to his wife, Cathy, and their three children "who put up with faxes, the phones, the e-mails, and the meetings day and night."

Las Virgenes Educators’ Association president Sandy Pope said, "I hope you know how many jobs you saved."

Finders and the board presented Molnar and Selter with a plaque for their hard work.

The programs and services that were spared are varied. High school music, drama and athletic programs have continued to operate. The money also helped maintain elementary school reading specialists and middle and high school counselors.

Still, classroom sizes increased slightly and six teaching positions were lost.

Molnar said that the Foundation will continue to raise funds to maintain the quality of all schools in the district.