Dear Editor,
The Foundation for Edmonds School District would like to shed light on the budget shortfall facing the Edmonds School District. The potential ramifications of this educational budget deficit are grave, with expected increases in class sizes, reduced funding for art, music, sports, and extracurricular activities that contribute to intellectual, emotional and physical development of our youth. We are addressing this issue given the high stakes we will face.
The Foundation for Edmonds School District is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that collaborates closely with the district to champion children, families and educators in their pursuit of educational excellence. The Foundation’s purpose is not to offset the district’s budget reductions. Our role is to provide complementary educational and vocational programming to students, a nourishing network that feeds hundreds of hungry children and families every year, and classroom grants to teachers who do not get enough funding for crucial supplies.
The District and the Foundation have forged an effective public-private partnership that optimizes our combined efforts. It is vital to stress that we do not act as a direct funder to the district; rather our programs fill needs that the district cannot and we can help fill in some of the gaps.
The Foundation seeks to bolster its Endowment Fund, a strategic move aimed at ensuring the sustainability of our programs and classroom grants, regardless of economic circumstances or the outcome of voter and state decisions on adequate district funding. While we do not have the capacity to make up for budget cuts to the district, an established endowment fund empowers us to identify and effectively address evolving community needs. That’s why we are grateful to our donors, volunteers and community for their unwavering support and their contributions that underpin our efforts.
The community deserves an accurate understanding of the far-reaching implications of these budget cuts and we are happy to see the commitment by our local news outlets to covering this matter.
Sincerely,
Barry Crane
Board President, Foundation for Edmonds School District
DISCLAIMER: The views and comments expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lynnwood Times nor any of its affiliates.
