Our Endowment Fund is designed to provide our schools with a legacy of self-sustaining support for years to come.
In 2001, a group of local parents worked with the school district to launch the La Honda-Pescadero Endowment Fund with an initial donation from the La Honda Educational Foundation. The Endowment continues to grow with help from new donors. When the target goals are met, the annual interest earnings from the Endowment Fund will be a source of steady income available to meet district-wide needs.
Despite our tiny population, our district has been very successful in fundraising to get through past budget crises. Our schools are community centers which provide small classes where all our students enjoy personal attention to their academic, social and emotional needs. We can point to great accomplishments from involvement in the study of the arts and the local environment to participation in student-led conferences and public presentations of their research projects to the number of students accepted to four-year colleges.
Our challenge is to see that despite the lesser resources of our rural community we continue to provide a rich, high-quality education and keep pace with communities of greater means which raise significant endowments to support their schools.
Donations to our Endowment Fund are a buffer against future budget crises and other financial challenges unique to our district. They will help protect our schools from sudden enrollment declines and state funding shortfalls, and help sustain quality programs that serve all segments of our diverse community.
Each year we get closer to our goal of having a long-lasting source of annual support for our schools. Thanks are due to the generous donors and visionaries who created this Endowment Fund and are helping it grow.
What is the Endowment Fund?
The Endowment Fund is managed at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. It consists of money and property donated by individuals and organizations. The income from these investments is distributed for specific programs to supplement the district budget and enhance the quality of education. Funds are spent equitably among all our schools.
Distributions from the Fund are made by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation based on recommendations from an advisory committee comprised of the district superintendent, school board members, and representatives from the La Honda Educational Foundation and the Pescadero Education Foundation.
Donors' ideas are welcome. The Endowment Fund advisory committee works with donors who have specific objectives for their contributions, and whose gifts are large enough to support such programs, both for identified areas of need and for new objectives.
How can I donate to the Endowment Fund?
Please contact the Superintendent or individual Board members to inquire further about becoming a donor to the Endowment Fund. We are happy to schedule a visit to our schools and discuss how your donation to the Endowment Fund benefits our school district and our community.