The Orinda Network for Education’s (ONE) fundraising helps keep STEAM classes, like this one, up and running.
The Orinda Network for Education is close to its fund-raising goal of $5.5 million, but time is running out on this year’s effort.
ONE, as the group is known, had raised $5.2 million, and has until the end of June to complete the fund-raising cycle. And with the failure of the Acalanes Unified High School District’s parcel tax at the ballot box, every extra dollar that ONED can raise has become more important.
Still, it’s not easy.
“It was definitely harder this year,” said ONE Executive Director Emily Allen. While the foundation has seen great support from student families and the surrounding community, donations seemed to come in a little slower, she said.
“We’re hoping” to meet that goal, said ONE President Alicia Keenan. “We have a big community push happening right now and we’ve got until June 30.”
ONE’s role is to streamline and fortify fundraising efforts across the city’s six public schools. The foundation unites the efforts of parents’ clubs and the Orinda community to sustain the quality of educational programs and resources for students.
Just like other school districts across California, for over a decade, both AUHSD and the Orinda Unified School District’s state funding has been determined by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCCF). The formula gives districts base funding, as well as supplemental funding based on how many low-income, English-learning, or foster or homeless students are enrolled. These “concentration” grants offer further funding for districts with a high number of these students. As OUSD and AUHSD, both located in an affluent area, do not meet these criteria, they rank as one of the lowest districts in the county in per-student funding.
So despite its status as a top-performing school district, the state funding formula means OUSD and AUHSD face financial challenges other districts don’t, and ONE works to fill this gap.
Money raised means grants for both districts that can be spent on supplies, maintaining smaller class sizes, STEAM programming, and school libraries, among other academic needs. The funding also helps with ONE’s operating expenses and support for the parents’ clubs, but Allen says that the bulk of the fundraising dollars are focused on fortifying school programming and resources.
“You name it, we fund it,” said Keenan when discussing where ONE’s money goes.
She gave an example of how funding can be utilized at both the school and district level, saying that some of Miramonte High School’s ONE funding goes to AUHSD to pay for elective courses and some goes toward Miramonte-specific areas, such as supplies for teachers or technology needs.
ONE also donated money to the Yes on Measure T campaign, along with passing along donations from local parents’ clubs. ONE’s contribution was $9,999 out of the $49,999 total, with the rest coming from parents’ clubs.
Keenan also emphasized the role of community in ONE’s success, pointing out that an anonymous community donor has given ONE $25,000, which will be used as a community match.
“It’s a great opportunity for the community to essentially double their donation,” she said.
Keenan expressed gratitude to ONE’s business partners, adding that the foundation now has one diamond-level and two-platinum level supporters.
“We hope to continue to make this progress in our business community,” she said.
“We’re wrapping up this year at the end of June, and then next year, ONE is really going to put an eye on building stronger Orinda community support,” said Keenan.
Allen spoke of the reliance not only on school families, but also on community members, local businesses and alumni in coming together to reach ONE’s goal, “because great schools really do impact the community.”
