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About PEF
Our Mission
The Piedmont Educational Foundation is a community-based organization whose mission is to promote academic excellence, champion innovation, and provide sustained financial support to the Piedmont Unified School District.
The PEF Organization
Established in 1975, the Piedmont Educational Foundation (PEF) was formed with the intent of providing the Piedmont Unified School District with the means to assure excellence in the education of all Piedmont children.
Our Board of Directors, representing every facet of our community, are volunteers with and without children attending our public schools. All Board members share an ongoing commitment to the high standard of education in Piedmont.
What We Do
PEF actively seeks donations in support of our schools via the Foundation Fund and Endowment Fund. In addition, Dress Best For Less makes a substantial donation each year to PEF and is an integral part of PEF funding. PEF semi-annually publishes The Patron, which contains information about the schools, provides opportunities for the community to make donations and describes how fundraising dollars are spent. We also publish the School Directory as a service to our school families and community.
How We Do It: Our Fundraising
Foundation Fund Grants - The Foundation Fund underwrites innovation through teacher and classroom grants and provides funding for ongoing school programs that help preserve academic excellence. Previous grants have provided support for innovative academic programs including field trips, guest speakers, classroom equipment, computer technology, and much more. More recently, the Foundation Fund also has provided vital support to the district in the form of unrestricted grants to help preserve academic programs.
Endowment Fund - The Endowment Fund provides a dependable, long-term source of funding for our schools through our annual distribution. In 2000, a major campaign was begun to raise $5,000,000 and as of June 2006, over $3,200,000 has been raised. Last year’s distribution of $100,000 provided critical funding for academic electives at Piedmont High School and Piedmont Middle School as well as support for student services at every school site. The Endowment Solicitation Team solicits donations via individual contacts and through The Patron.
Why We Do It: Funding of Public Schools In California
Public school finance in the State of California has changed dramatically over the last quarter century. Since California's public schools receive the majority of their funding on a per student basis from the state government, the State deficit has resulted in dramatically reduced allocations to education. As a result, school districts throughout our State have been forced to make major cuts to local budgets. Over the past several years, Piedmont has made over one million dollars in operating reductions, and has worked collaboratively to marshal local resources in order to maintain its high standards of excellence through full program offerings and adequate staff compensation. Unprecedented community support of the recently approved parcel tax measures, and impressive parent and community participation in school fundraisers, have made it possible for the district to preserve essential academic programs and student support services long lost in other communities. For more information about State funding and Piedmont, click here.
As Piedmonters, we are committed to educating our students to become active citizens and leaders of tomorrow. This takes the efforts of both our citizens and our schools, working together to provide our children a first rate educational experience. For over 30 years PEF has worked with generations of Piedmont families to do just this, providing millions of dollars in support of educational excellence.
How PEF Differs From Piedmont Parent Clubs/Organizations
PEF is a volunteer organization that represents every facet of the city of Piedmont. While some of our Board members have children who attend our public schools, others do not. An extraordinary commitment to youth and public education is and has been a hallmark of our organization as well as the broader Piedmont community.
Our mission is to promote academic excellence, champion innovation and provide sustained financial support to the District. We actively seek donations from the entire Piedmont community through mailings of The Patron newsletter in Fall and Spring of each year. Our Foundation Fund and Endowment Fund are two separate but complementary ways to donate to our schools. Through our grants program supported by the Foundation Fund and an annual unrestricted distribution from the Endowment Fund, PEF puts generous donations from the entire Piedmont community to work.
The Associated Parent Clubs of Piedmont that operate as Parent Clubs or Parent Organizations at each of our school sites also raise substantial funds for our schools. Focused at each of our six schools, these groups are Parent based and run, working with the school administration to help provide support to program and staff. Generous parent donations underwrite many important programs, once considered basic, in all schools. These funds are distributed to the parent clubs/organization at each school, which then work with the administration to help to determine program funding at each site.