Education foundation donates $100,000 to school district





BIG GIFT—The Friends of Oak Park School Foundation gives the Oak Park Unified School District a check for $100,000 at the Dec. 6 meeting of the OPUSD Board of Education.

BIG GIFT—The Friends of Oak Park School Foundation gives the Oak Park Unified School District a check for $100,000 at the Dec. 6 meeting of the OPUSD Board of Education.

The Friends of Oak Park Schools Education Foundation presented a $100,000 check to the Oak Park Unified School District Board of Education on Dec. 6.

Barry Myerson, chair of the Friends of Oak Park Schools, said the donation will be used to support school programs in the upcoming school year.

“ The funds donated by Friends of Oak Park Schools represent the commitment of parents to ensuring that we offer a world-class educational experience to all of our students,” said Superintendent Tony Knight, adding that the funds pay for programs that otherwise “would not exist in this fiscal climate.”

In the past seven years, the foundation has raised and donated more than $700,000 for the school district. Myerson said the community and parents of students in the district are supportive of the foundation’s efforts.

“Our District of Choice parents have also stepped up to the plate with donations matching or exceeding the parcel tax and bond measures that we have to pay as Oak Park residents,” Myerson said.

The foundation has been headed by Myerson for six years. He said additional volunteers are needed to serve on the board.

“We can always use a fresh set of ideas and input,” Myerson said. “Our board does the heavy lifting.”

Over the past three years the foundation has been working to create an endowment fund, which would allow the district to pay for programs using interest earned on investments. The fund needs at least $1 million in principle before it can start earning interest that can be used to pay for programs in perpetuity.

Each fall, the board sends out an appeal letter to parents asking for donations.

“We try hard to explain why it is necessary to help supplement the ‘free’ education that we are supposed to receive but are not naive enough to think that we will receive from state funding,” Myerson said.

The foundation usually hosts a fundraising event in the spring.

“It’s terrific to have a community that understands the concept of paying it forward. We see it as similar to a college alumni fund,” Myerson said.

The overarching goal of the foundation is to use the endowment fund to help create and pay for programs that would not otherwise be offered in the district. Myerson said he hopes to add a new program every two to three years.

The salary of the district science specialist has been funded through the foundation for several years. The specialist reaches most grade levels in the district, Myerson said. Last month, the specialist accompanied each of the fifth-grade classes on a field trip to Santa Cruz Island.

Students saw humpback whales crossing the Santa Barbara Channel and learned about the history of the Channel Islands. More than 250 fifth-graders and 120 parents participate in the Santa Cruz field trip each year.

“This is the core of what we are trying to add to the district— experiential learning,” Myerson said.

The Friends of Oak Park Schools also supplement the efforts of the three elementary parent-teacher organizations. Myerson said. Together, the organizations pay for two music specialists.

“This ensures that each of our elementary schools have in-class music lessons and grade-level performances that would not exist without Friends and our PTOs.”

At the middle and high school levels, the foundation funds the Idea to Impact program, which focuses on environmental sciences. The program is supported by the Ventura County Board of Education and Cal State Channel Islands.

The money that the foundation raises is used for specific programs and does not go into the school district’s general fund, Myerson said. The Friends’ board of directors, with input from parents, decides which programs should be created and funded.

Myerson praised Oak Park schools.

“Our district is comprised of National Blue Ribbon and California Distinguished schools,” he said. “Our high school students move on to two- and four-year colleges and then come back to volunteer for some of the successful programs that they were a part of. That speaks volumes.”

The Friends of Oak Park Schools Education Foundation can be reached at info@friendsofoakparkschools.org or through the foundation website, www.friendsofoakparkschools.org.


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