Frequently Asked Questions About SchoolCARE
Here’s the scoop on SchoolCARE, in fifteen bite-sized portions.

What are we?
We are a community group committed to the development of long-term funding support for quality education in the Albany Unified School district. We believe that State funding is no longer enough.
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What are we doing?
We’re raising money to maintain high educational standards in the AUSD. SchoolCARE aims to cooperatively restore teaching positions and programs eliminated in recent budget cuts, and to mitigate those cuts, to the greatest extent possible. That goal is a big one and the timeline is short. To allow school principals and departments to plan their fall courses and schedules, we must raise the money before summer break so that teaching positions and programs can be added back into the District’s fall budget. The message is simple: The more money we raise, the more positions we can restore.
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Why are we doing this?
Our children will lose valued programming unless we fill the gap between immediate fiscal needs and the long-term solutions to funding shortfalls. Most of our Bay Area neighbor communities have implemented programs to address this need, some beginning in the early 1980s. State funding is simply not enough. Communities which pay FAR more in parcel taxes than we do still raise substantial amounts of money to ensure educational excellence and a breadth of programs.
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Who are we?
We are you. We are community volunteers. We’re parents, teachers, and homeowners who care about the educational opportunities available to our children. We’re working in cooperation with our existing Albany Educational Foundation, the various school site councils and school PTAs, athletic and music boosters, school administrators, and ANYONE who cares about preserving our quality schools.
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Are Albany's teachers involved?
Teachers' voices are invaluable in guiding our school programs. Teacher representatives are on the Site Councils that help decide the funding priorities at each level. Additionally, funding priorities may be discussed at staff levels. Teachers can also be extremely important in helping to spread the word about SchoolCARE and all that we are accomplishing to their students and, especially to their families. We welcome all teachers and value their contribution.
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Can we really succeed?
Albany has demonstrated again and again a commitment to quality education. While we may not share the economic affluence of other districts, the fact remains: If we want to maintain our high-quality schools—which compare favorably with many of the Bay Area’s more affluent districts—and if we want to protect our strong property values, we must continue our tradition of community support for our schools. We have to help pay for quality education!
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How will we raise funds?
We are pursuing a wide range of funding options, including grants, business and corporate donations, and special events. Most important, each year SchoolCARE will ask families to make a substantial contribution based on the number of children they have in Albany schools.
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Where will the money go?
The money will go to all school sites with carefully considered and equitable distribution. We will look at all the funds SchoolCARE has brought to the table and the priorities developed at each site. The more we raise, the more we can put into place for the fall!
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How will specific programs be selected?
We are already working at each level (high school, middle school, and elementary school) with site councils, PTAs and principals, and the district to determine the funding sources and needs at each site. We are trying to ensure the most mileage out of available funds. This cooperative effort will identify priorities. SchoolCARE will fund what we can. The more we have, the more we can do.

Example: PTAs, site councils, and/or SchoolCARE might combine funds to address a particular teaching position. Individually, each pot of money might not be enough, but by shifting the loads, together they might restore a teaching position or fill another identified need.
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How can we be sure the money will really go for the things we expect?
We are all working together to identify the funding and priorities, so we anticipate full cooperation on implementing those agreed-upon plans. We will work cooperatively with site administrators, the School Board, and District administrators to ensure that the money we pledge will be used for those purposes.
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How much money will it take?
The District budget for the coming year lost about $1.5 million in the recent round of cuts. While we don’t expect to replace all of that this year, we need to establish a long-term, sustainable role in funding the things that make our schools so special. These “non-mandated” things—the arts, sports, advanced classes—are important parts of the school experience our community expects for our children.
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Are contributions tax deductible?
Yes! Absolutely! And they qualify for employer-matching funds if your company offers a cooperative giving program.
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How is SchoolCARE different from the Foundation, Boosters, and PTAs, all of which raise money for the schools?
Existing groups each serve important, and quite specific, roles.

The Albany Education Foundation raises over $50,000 annually to distribute in the form of mini-grants and block grants to classroom teachers for such things as equipment and field trips.

PTAs work at school sites to enhance the educational experience for children and their families through social events, educational events, outreach, enrichment programs, and funding site-specific needs such as equipment and “Chess in the Schools” programs.

Booster groups raise money to support athletic and music programs—generally for equipment, transportation, and supplies.

SchoolCARE works with these groups to address needs and educational priorities throughout the District—at all levels—and to identify strategies for cooperatively addressing those needs.
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Didn’t we recently pass a parcel tax? Why do we need more fundraising?
Our most recent parcel tax provides about $1 million in funds to Albany schools each year. Those funds, together with an older parcel tax totaling about $700,000, amount to just under $600 per student per year. The state provides Albany with about $4,500 per student per year. The total per-student figure is $5,100.

Here’s another way to calculate what we allocate to each student per year. Our total District budget is just over $19 million, and we have a little over 2,800 students currently enrolled. That puts our per-student allocation at about $6,800.

Take your pick: $5,100 or $6,800 per year per student—either figure is well below the national average. (High-achieving states such as New York and New Jersey spend over $10,000 per student!) We need more fundraising because we don’t have enough money for the kind of education we want in Albany.
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That’s a lot of facts and figures. Tell me again: Why do we need SchoolCARE?
We need SchoolCARE if we want good schools. No other group is working to raise funds to serve students District wide by funding teaching positions and programs, and leveraging available funds for their maximum potential. SchoolCARE is stepping up to address a serious funding need in our community.
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