History and Mission
The El Segundo Education Foundation (Ed!) is a community and local business-driven fundraising organization that supplements the inconsistent funding from the State of California for programs that inspire learning, enrich teaching, and promote innovation and academic excellence in the public schools of El Segundo.
Since its founding in 1983, Ed! has provided parents, community members, and local businesses with a means to invest in superior public education for their children in the El Segundo Unified School District (ESUSD). Ed!'s annual grant to ESUSD ensures that students receive an excellent and consistent education from Kindergarten through the 12th grade, regardless of state funding fluctuations.
Over the years, Ed!'s annual grant to ESUSD has grown from $20,000 to $2,000,000. This increase is primarily due to the growing gap between the amount of money the State of CA provides ESUSD to educate a student and what it costs to provide an excellent education. Additionally, once The Ed! Board of Directors agrees to fund a program, they are committed to funding it annually until the District determines it is no longer needed. Today, Ed! funds programs at CSS, RSS, ESMS, and ESHS in science, the arts, literacy, and health and wellness.
To reach the annual grant request by ESUSD, Ed! raises money in four ways: 1. Direct parent/community giving (40%); 2. Business partnerships (20%); 3. The Academy by Ed! (10%); and 4. Fundraising events (30%). The diversification in raising funds enables Ed! to consistently reach its fundraising goals and fulfill its pledged annual grant to ESUSD.
ESUSD's most significant budget line item is teacher salaries. If Ed! did not exist to provide the additional funding the District needs, approximately 10% of the teachers would have to be eliminated. With Ed! and the school-level PTA's, CSS, RSS, ESMS, and ESHS have the funding they need to provide an A+ education to our students.
Ed! works collaboratively with district leaders, school principals, and the Board of Education to develop funding priorities. We focus on making an impact on all district students. Together, we can make a comprehensive difference and narrow the widening gap created by the State!
Ed! is a California non-profit, public benefit corporation. It is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation's federal tax ID number (EIN) is 95-3885992. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
$20,000
Initial Grant (1983)
$2,000,000
Current Annual Grant
4
School Sites Funded
40%
Community Contribution
Mission
History
Decades of Inadequate State Funding
For decades, funding for California public schools has been inadequate, covering only the basics and not the enriched educational opportunities we expect our students to receive. Once ranked fifth in the nation for per-pupil funding, California's position dramatically declined following the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. Proposition 13 restructured California's education funding model, moving oversight and management to the state level and introducing income and sales tax as major contributors to the state education budget. This funding model created volatility in school funding, dropping abruptly during recessions and rising fleetingly during economic recoveries.
At its lowest point, California ranked 48th in per-pupil funding in the nation. California has gradually increased funding for education, recently surpassing the national average.
However, with the introduction of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) adopted in 2013, El Segundo Unified School District became one of 100 school districts in California to receive the least per-student funding. The reason is that ESUSD does not qualify for supplemental support for programs like Free and Reduced Lunch and English Language Learning. The assumption that our local tax dollars adequately fund public education is inaccurate. Less than 20% of the property taxes raised in El Segundo are allocated to fund our local schools. This lack of adequate funding from the state highlights the importance of community and local business support through voluntary donations to Ed!.