What is the One Community Campaign (OCC)?
The One Community Campaign is THE critical annual fundraiser for our schools, supporting staff and programs that provide MPCSD students with an exceptional and well-rounded education. The OCC combines the annual fall fundraising efforts of all four - Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview - and of the MPAEF into one donation to make it simple for each family to support our schools.
When does the campaign end?
The One Community Campaign runs through September 29, 2023, but we really appreciate early donations. The earlier you donate, the faster your PTO can put your donation to work!
Why do we need the One Community Campaign (OCC)?
Funds raised during the One Community Campaign ensure that our children can continue to receive an exceptional and well-rounded education. MPCSD is a community-funded district, which means it must make up most of its budget through local taxes and parent donations.
Before Prop 13, districts could count on tax income to meet their funding needs. In 1978, California school budgets were upwards of $9 billion. The following year - with the passage of Prop 13 - those budgets were slashed, nearly overnight, by almost 60%. California now ranks 39th in funding per student (adjusted for cost per living). (1)
Now, districts are limited to the funding they either receive from the State (for lower income/lower property value districts) or can raise on their own through local property taxes and donations (for community-funded districts, such as MPCSD).
In response to Prop 13, parents in our community created the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) and school Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs) to restore the quality in our local schools. In 2019, the MPAEF and PTOs combined their fall fundraising efforts into the One Community Campaign.
Public schools are supposed to be free. Why are we asked to donate?
It costs $23,800 to educate each student in the Menlo Park City School District, but our district only receives $18,000 from property taxes and government funding. That leaves a $5,800 gap that our community needs to fill with parcel taxes and voluntary donations via the One Community Campaign. It is the generous support of our parent community - giving an amount that is meaningful for their family - that ensures MPCSD students receive the exceptional and well-rounded education they do.
What is a PTO?
Each school in the Menlo Park City School District has its own PTO. PTOs are non-profit volunteer organizations that provide services and materials that enrich our students’ education and support our vibrant community of parents, children, teachers and staff. Parents and teachers at a school come together to work on programs that benefit the educational experience of the children at that particular school. Your donations to the PTO fund lunchtime clubs and after-school programs at Hillview. At Encinal, Laurel and Oak Knoll, your donations fund student and family events, as well as culturally enriching programs like assemblies, the STEAM Fair, Science Fair, Art in Action, STEAM on the Knoll, classroom supplies, supplemental curriculum, and much more. PTOs provide human and capital reinforcements to help our schools' teachers and staff focus on educating our children and enriching their learning experience.
What is the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF)?
The Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation is a parent-led non-profit organization that, for the past 40 years, has raised critical funds to support quality education at the four public schools of the Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD): Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview. For the 2023/2024 school year, the MPAEF granted $3.8 million to MPCSD to allow the district to fund 43 counselors, teachers, and school specialists for art, PE, music, science, and library programs. Since 2009, the MPAEF has provided more than $47 million to MPCSD from parent donations.
What do funds raised by the OCC support?
Your donation to the OCC funds critical programs at our schools, including:
29 teachers in art, science, music, and PE, as well as a librarian at every school site. Many California schools do not have specialists trained in these fields teaching their students
A long-term investment in hiring high quality teachers and supporting them with ongoing professional development
40 middle school electives to choose from like music, photography, coding, robotics, and world language
Cutting-edge STEM curriculum available for all students
10 psychologists and counselors plus a district-wide mental health & wellness lead to provide a mental health safety net at every school
Curriculum enhancement such as the STEAM Fair, maker spaces, and drama/musical programs
Culturally enriching programs including Poetry in Motion, assemblies, and field trips
Family events such as the elementary school family picnics, Hillview academy celebrations, community service opportunities, and the Decades dance
How is my contribution split between my PTO and MPAEF?
The OCC donation process was created to ensure that all of the PTOs and the MPAEF were provided with the funds they need to support critical school initiatives. Up to the first $250 of your donation goes to each of your children’s schools, and the remainder is allocated to the MPAEF. Here are some examples of how your donation could be allocated across your PTOs and the MPAEF.
Are my contributions tax-deductible?
Yes! Your donations to the One Community Campaign are tax-deductible because it is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The tax ID is Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation: #94-2871701. Receipts for funds accepted by the OCC will be the MPAEF tax ID # since MPAEF is the organization that is receiving and distributing the money to the PTOs.
Will my employer match my contribution?
Corporate matches are a critical source of funding for the One Community Campaign. Many employers will match your contributions, doubling your impact. Once you have donated, CLICK HERE to find out how to submit your corporate match. When you apply for your corporate match, please direct your donation request to the MPAEF, which will distribute those funds to each PTO and MPAEF based on what you personally donated. Since it generally takes several months to receive corporate match dollars, it helps with our planning to know you’ve requested it. Please submit a pledge for the dollar amount of the corporate match on the SupportMPCSD website so we know to look for it.
How do pledges work?
Pledging is a great way for you to participate in the OCC and contribute towards our fundraising goal while allowing you to defer payments until a more convenient time, such as during the next tax year, when you’ve vested stock, or when you’d like to contribute from a donor advised fund. Once we’ve received your pledge, we’ll remove you from our weekly email list, saving both your and our parent volunteers’ time. Your child(ren)’s PTO will be paid upon fulfillment of your pledge, as long as the pledge is fulfilled by June 1, 2024. Any donations that are fulfilled after June 1 will revert fully to the MPAEF. For example, if you pledge $3,000 and pay after June 1, 2024, the full $3,000 is paid to the MPAEF. If you pay it before June 1, 2024, then your PTO receives $250 and the MPAEF receives the remaining $2,750. Pledges can be fulfilled by ANY type of future donation - check/eCheck, Donor Advised Fund, donation/match via company, credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or stock.
Who do I make my check out to?
Please make checks to “One Community Campaign.” You can send them to PO Box 584, Menlo Park, CA 94026.
What if I want to give a larger amount to my school's PTO, or to give exclusively to one organization or the other?
The OCC donation process was created to ensure that all of the PTOs and the MPAEF were provided with the funds they need to support critical school initiatives. If you would like to individually support your PTO or the MPAEF, you can make a separate donation after the OCC ends on September 29th.
What If I want to direct my MPAEF donation to my child's school vs. the entire district?
The MPAEF does not accept directed donations via the OCC.
How does fundraising compare across schools?
The first $250 of your OCC donation goes directly to your child(ren)’s PTO (i.e. if you have 2 kids at Encinal, Encinal PTO will receive the first $500 of your donation). So your contributions directly fund your school’s enrichment activities. Your donations to the MPAEF allow the organization to make an unrestricted grant each year to the MPCSD, which the district leadership uses to fund teachers, counselors, and specialist programs equitably across all four schools.