It's only a few words, but the line that's repeated over and over as a selling point in many local real estate ads speaks volumes. Right there with "breath-taking views" and "remodeled kitchen," many of the advertisements include "Los Gatos schools."
The reason is simple. A house located within the boundaries of the Los Gatos Union School District is considered desirable for prospective buyers, thereby increasing the value of the home.
The district ranks among the best in the state. Year in and year out, while other school districts in California struggle to maintain standards, schools in the Los Gatos district retain an excellent rating. That's no accident.
The Los Gatos Union School District, under Superintendent Mary Ann Park's leadership—and also the Los GatosSaratoga Joint Union High School District under Superintendent Cindy Ranii's direction—set high standards for academic achievement. But those standards are costly to maintain, and there just isn't enough funding from the state to provide the well-rounded education children need to succeed.
That's where organizations like the Los Gatos Education Foundation fit in. The foundation has raised nearly $1 million in each of the past two years to provide financial support for programs that otherwise would have to be dropped.
The annual campaign began anew on Jan. 24 with dedicated volunteers contacting parents in the school district, local businesses and others in the community to solicit their financial support. The campaign runs through March 15, and the goal again is to reach that $1 million mark.
District parents are asked to give $600 for one child or $900 for two or more, and the money is certainly well spent, allowing the district to retain teachers and maintain small class sizes in Los Gatos elementary schools and Fisher Middle School.
"We wouldn't have music, art, the physical education programs, science, all the extras, support for math and reading; we wouldn't have those programs without the local funding," Park told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. "If they don't raise $1 million, we'll have to sit down with our budget and see what we're not going to have. I don't want to have that discussion."
The money raised in the current campaign will fund programs in the 2005-06 school year. According to the LGEF website (www.lgef.com), the grant projections include $440,000 to maintain smaller class sizes and to retain five teachers, $86,000 for music programs, $48,000 for science support, $166,000 for math support, $180,000 for visual and performing arts, $55,000 for teacher development and $25,000 for middle school student development.
"We expect a high quality education for our children and it will require annual fundraising at this level to ensure there are quality programs," the LGEF wrote on its website.
That "high quality education" translates into better, more desirable schools—and also higher property values.
