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

What are we?
We are a 510(c)3 non-profit 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 alone is not sufficient.
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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 budget cuts, and to mitigate those cuts, to the greatest extent possible. That goal is a big one and the timeline is short. SchoolCARE works with all public schools in Albany, K-12, and asks each school site to involve all stakeholders (teachers, parents, administrators, and students at high school and middle school) in evaluation of the school needs and priorities. 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 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?
Throughout the school year, SchoolCARE works 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 much money will it take?
The District budget is facing a $2.2 million shortfall for the 2009-10 school year due to state budget cuts and increasing costs. 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, electives and advanced classes—are important parts of the school experience our community expects for our children.
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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.

Athletic and Music Booster groups raise money to support athletic and music programs—generally for equipment, transportation, scholarships, 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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What is the overall (shortfall) AUSD is facing going into the 2009-2010 school year?
The short answer is: Together with increased costs, Albany Unified School District is looking at a shortfall of $2.2 million The longer answer is: You will need to get the updated budget information from AUSD, as it seems to change daily in response to changes at the California State budget level. The ‘deficit’ (meaning the amount the district spends compared with the amount of revenue it receives) is only part of the problem. At the March 17 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent Laurie Harden presented the 2nd interim budget report. The state is taking money away from Albany (and all districts in the state) for this CURRENT 08-09 school year. That is money that was promised last summer and on which the current year staffing is based. IN ADDITION, the state is reducing the amount of money that it will give to districts next year for the 09-10 school year. Together with increased costs, Albany Unified School District is looking at a shortfall of $2.2 million. This will be cut from the budget for the coming school year.
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What is being cut from the district budget?
The current 08-09 AUSD budget is about $35 million. According to the district information (which is updated on the AUSD website periodically) “The total impact of the proposed cuts for 2008-09 and 09-10 budget is approximately $2.2 million…We need to cut our budget by about 15%.” The Superintendent initiated a number of immediate cost saving measures, including reducing her own salary, laying off district office employees (superintendent’s admin. assistant; personnel coordinator; network administrator, and more), putting a freeze on spending, and other measures. At February and March board of education meetings, the school board members approved a long list of cuts of teachers, administrators, librarians, technology support staff, and others. Elementary class sizes will go up slightly; middle and high school students will lose an entire period from their school day and lose many elective and advanced courses. In addition, classified staff such as library and classroom aides and others will receive layoff notices. The list of specific cuts approved can be found in the board agendas for the meetings of Feb. 24, March 3 and March 10. (These are posted on the AUSD website on the Board of Education page.)
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How many students are served by AUSD?
The total number of students is approximately 3,800. If every family donated $500 per student, it would nearly total $2 million!
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How much should I contribute through SchoolCARE?
SchoolCARE asks every Albany family to consider a donation of $500 per child enrolled in Albany schools. While we understand that not all families can afford that level of support – although MANY do so by contributing $40 per month via credit card – it is important for people to understand the levels of contributions that are necessary to have the significant impact that is needed on preserving quality education in Albany. SchoolCARE is the only school fundraising organization paying for teachers, counselors, librarians, aides – PEOPLE in the schools working with students during the regular school day.

For perspective, consider that it takes $15,000 – that’s 30 contributions of $500 to pay for ONE day of reading specialist at ONE elementary school, or to pay for ONE elective class at the high school or middle school.
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Can I make my SchoolCARE contribution throughout the year? Is it tax deductible?
Yes! Absolutely! We need to have all PLEDGES in this spring, so that we may count that in the amount we are able to pledge to Albany schools for the 09-10 school year. However, donors may pay that pledge over the course of the year in monthly installments via check or credit card. Yes, your contributions are fully tax-deductible. SchoolCARE is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and we provide all donors with a letter of acknowledgement as documentation of contributions. We also welcome donations made through employer United Way fundraising drives – just designate SchoolCARE as your selected non-profit. And, please remember us if your employer provides matching contributions – this is a significant share of our donations, and is a great way for families to double the impact of their generosity.
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What is the impact of SchoolCARE contributions?
SchoolCARE began in 2001 in response to a budget crisis, and contributions of $150,000 that first year helped to offset painful cuts to Kindergarten through 12th grade districtwide. Contributions now tend to average $275,000 - $300,000 per year, for a total of nearly $2 million contributed from 2001 through the 2008-09 school year. In years when state funding has been relatively robust, SchoolCARE contributions have been able to support innovation and enrichment, and in budget crisis years such as this, SchoolCARE contributions will serve to mitigate against the worst of the cuts. The school sites, with the participation of all stakeholder groups, work through the spring to identify their needs and priorities. We use a shorthand and refer to this as the schools’ “wish lists” -- our goal is to fund as many items on those wish lists as possible.
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If a new parcel tax is approved, when will it take affect, how much will the tax be and how will the money be used?
There is currently a committee exploring the possibility of a parcel tax. The committee began meeting in mid-March. They will gather information regarding a variety of parcel tax related issues and make a recommendation to the board later this spring (perhaps in May or June). At that time, the school board will decide whether or not to go forward with a parcel tax on the ballot. If the board does decide to go forward with a parcel tax measure, it would not likely appear on a ballot until November, 2009 – too late to deal with the budget shortfall for the coming 09-10 year, but in time to stave off even more drastic cuts that would be needed for the 2010-11 school year.
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How are SchoolCARE funds allocated to the schools?
SchoolCARE operates on a principal of equity for all schools. The level of funding support elementary, middle, and high school generally reflects the percentage share of the student population at those levels. SchoolCARE does not directly allocate funds to sites or give grants. SchoolCARE works with the schools to identify their needs and priorities and then pledges to the district to pay for those specific items, so we know EXACTLY what our community dollars are paying for! SchoolCARE allocates all available resources on the schools’ site-created Wish Lists. We work with the schools to look at all available resources, such as site council funds, to maximize resources to cover the greatest number of priorities possible.
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How urgent is the need to reduce this shortfall?
The need is urgent. This is not the ‘little boy crying wolf’. Cutting $2.2 million out of a very lean school district budget will be very painful. Steps you can take include contributing to SchoolCARE, participating in your school needs and priorities survey, volunteering to help – in the classroom, with the PTA at your school, and/or with SchoolCARE and the other fundraiser organizations in town. This is a time for everyone to pitch in, for the strength of our community is our schools, and the strength of our schools is our community.
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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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