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Published on 08/19/1996 All articles from this issue

Montclaire School receives a helping hand from parents

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By Kristina Allen / Town Crier Staff Writer

Even though the state budget is allotting funds to the school districts to reduce class size in the first, second and third grades, the Montclaire Educational Foundation is not backing down from its primary goal - to improve the student to staff ratio at Montclaire School.

Montclaire School is in the Cupertino Union School District, but is located at 1160 St. Joseph Ave., Los Altos. The parents of these students formed the Montclaire Educational Foundation (MEF) in 1991 to raise funds to improve the quality of education for their children. MEF raises funds to pay for additional teachers, consultants and classroom aides. The district has its own educational foundation called the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF), and last year raised $219,000 to be spread to the district's 23 schools. The MEF raised more than $100,000 last year for Montclaire School alone.

"The foundation funds people, not things," said Melissa King, president of MEF. "We can raise money to fund additional personnel at the school, carry over any left-over funding, put the money in the bank to gain interest, and grant the money to the school to fund the hiring of employees for the school."

Each year, the School Site Council, a state-mandated body comprising elected parents, teachers and the school principal, prioritizes school needs. MEF receives grant requests from the Site Council.. All personnel is hired, employed and managed by the Cupertino Union School District. The MEF reimburses the district for the cost of such personnel.

"Currently the foundation funds a full-time credentialed GLC (Guided Learning Center) resource teacher, a technology aide, a physical education instructor, a science consultant and three classroom aides," King said. "These positions would not exist without MEF funding."

The MEF board of directors comprises parents of Montclaire Students. Members are professionals in various fields who bring their individual talents to the foundation. Stan Meresman, chief financial officer of Silicon Graphics, was one of the MEF founders. Currently, there are 15 members on the board.

MEF works with the school administration and the Site Council to identify the needs MEF will fund for each academic year.

"The funds for these needs are raised one year in advance since the money is involved in funding personnel," said Angelo Matthews, MEF board member and King's husband..

This year, MEF's goal is to raise $140,000 for the school. Traditionally, MEF raises funds through three programs: donations, walk-a-thon and the scrip program.

Each family at Montclaire is asked to make an annual donation to MEF. The average donation is $260 per family, according to King.

The main fund-raising event is the MEF sponsored walk-a-thon. Students are asked to find sponsors who donate either a flat fee or an amount based on the distance walked. The 1997 walk-a-thon is scheduled for March 29.

The scrip program is a no-cost way of donating to MEF. Purchasers of scrip gift certificates buy them at face value from MEF and use them like cash. The discount varies among merchants, but about 5 percent of the face value is earned by MEF. "Last year, $20,000 was raised by scrip sales alone," Matthews said.

For more information, call the school at 967-9388.