1) Q. Who is the CUSD Foundation?
A. The CUSD Foundation is an independent, apolitical, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization wholly dedicated to fundraising for the benefit of all the students in the Capistrano Unified School District. We are not employed by CUSD.
2) Q. What is the Class Size Reduction (CSR) Crisis?
A. Public schools are funded by the state and currently we are expecting a $27 million reduction in the 2008-09 education budget caused by the state budget crisis. Please go to www.capousd.org to see a breakdown of those cuts. CSR cuts are $7 million of the district’s $27 million in cuts and represent salary savings which will be brought about by laying off 266 teachers, resulting in increased class sizes for Grades K – 12 district-wide. Fewer teachers = bigger class sizes and a higher student to teacher ratio.
3) Q. How much should I donate?
A. We are asking each parent in the district to donate $400 per student but any dollar amount will help. We also encourage parents to ask their employers to match their donations. Many companies already have an Employer Matching Program which could easily double the size of donations. If you know of a company that would like to make a corporate donation, please contact staceyf@cusdfoundation.org. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
4) Q. Where will my money go?
A. Your donation will go toward keeping our 266 teachers. The CUSD Foundation will manage and process all donations received. At the end of the fundraiser, we will make a restricted donation to the school district with the condition that it be used to restore class sizes only. Supt. Carter has promised that, “100% of the money donated will go towards teachers.”
You will have two options when donating:
Option 1 - Donate to save Class Size Reduction (CSR) for Grades K – 3, and
Option 2 - Donate to protect class sizes for Grades 4 – 12.
5) Q. When and how can I donate?
A. The CSR Crisis Campaign will begin on April 14th through June 1st. Please look for our mailer and emails from your principals for the specifics on donating or go to www.cusdfoundation.org to download a donation form.
6) Q. What if Prop 98 is not suspended and the school district ends up getting more money from the state?
A. The State Legislature’s final decision does not coincide with the 2008-09 school year. We will not know whether any of the $27 million will be restored to the district’s budget until most likely, late summer or early fall. The CUSD Foundation will give the school district the money raised to rehire teachers for Grades K – 3 and 4 – 12 FIRST. IF any additional money is received by the state, it will go toward the balance of the 266 teachers’ salaries and then toward the remaining $20 million, consisting of other prioritized budget cuts which will also have a serious impact on your child’s education.
7) Q. How much money do we need to raise for all Grades K – 3?
A. We need to raise a total of $4.375 million to keep the Class Size Reduction (CSR) Program, which is the 20 students to 1 teacher ratio (20:1) for Grades K - 3. Per California state law regarding CSR, we must keep the class size student to teacher ratio at 20:1 for Grades K – 3. If we do not, the district will lose an additional $13+ million from the state. Our goal is to raise $4.375 million to get the additional $13+ million from the state.
8) Q. What happens to the money donated if we don’t raise enough to keep CSR for the Grades K – 3?
A. If less than $4.375 million is raised, but we reach $1,975,000, the money will go toward keeping the CSR 20:1 ratio for Grade 1. If an additional $375,000 is raised, Grade 2 and kindergarten CSR 20:1 ratio will be restored. Finally, if another $2,025,000 is raised, Grade 3 CSR 20:1 ratio will be restored. We want to keep the CSR ratios of 20:1 for as many grades as we can because we will get additional money from the state as each grade is restored. If less than $1,975,000 is raised, the total amount raised would be evenly distributed across Grades K – 3 to reduce the proposed class size increase of Grade K to 30.5 students per 1 teacher and Grades 1 – 3 to 31.5 students per 1 teacher.
9) Q. How much money do we need to raise for the Grades 4 – 12 option?
A) We need to raise a total of $2,625,000. Any amount raised will be evenly distributed to protect our current class sizes. In secondary schools, the funds will be spent to rehire teachers and provide additional sections or classes, within the master schedule, thus offering students more options and reducing the overall average number of students in classes.
10) Q. Can the money that I donate be used for my school only?
A. No. This is a district-wide campaign, so any money raised will be evenly distributed among all the CUSD schools at the appropriate grade levels. The school district will not accept funds that will have an inequitable impact on students in the classroom.
