Protect golden goose

It comes as no surprise to learn that another local education foundation is getting off the ground. The group of well-intentioned parents and supporters hopes to raise private funds for the public schools in Oak Park.

School districts around the state—including Oak Park, Las Virgenes and Conejo—have been caught in a budget squeezed by Sacramento and feel they can no longer keep top flight education in place without reaching out to private donors.

These days there is no such thing as a purely public education. Families and businesses who are asked to spend thousands of dollars each year on classroom assistance can attest to that.

The benefits of this public/private partnership are enormous.

In 2003, the Las Virgenes Education Foundation got off the ground and raised nearly $1 million in response to the state’s draconian cuts. The district-wide foundation also was instrumental in garnering support to pass Measure E, the $98-per-year parcel tax that kept class sizes small and spared a variety of programs.

A separate education fund sprouted in Calabasas and helped pay the salaries of a counselor, librarian and principal. Now comes the Oak Park effort, aptly dubbed "Friends of Oak Park Schools."

While this private funding of public schools certainly has its upside, there is a danger of the different fundraising groups operating at cross purposes.

How is the local business leader supposed to respond when two different people come knocking the same day, both soliciting funds in the name of education?

There are other issues, as well. In the recent Calabasas City Council election, the question arose as to whether or not the city’s education fund should raise money on behalf of those students who attend Calabasas classrooms, but live outside the city’s boundaries. To put it another way, should the education fund be used to help the students of one city in the school district, but not the others?

And how fair is it to ask private parties not only to contribute out-of-pocket donations, but also to pay for a school bond measure that will cost them additional dollars in property taxes?

Generosity can be a wonderful thing, but let’s not kill the golden goose. Education fundraisers should use a cooperative, regional approach that benefits all and minimizes the taxpayer burden.