Their Future Is Now!

WE DID IT! $2 million in TFIN funds raised will be committed to the District. These funds -- in combination with the $1 million allocated from employee furlough savings -- will enable the District to rescind all 107 K-8 teacher pink slips, restore 20:1 class size in primary grades, and preserve our school communities!

This is an exciting victory shared by all members of our community! We thank the dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this success possible, the donors who embraced this opportunity to preserve quality education, the business community for rallying behind our schools, and all district employees for their personal sacrifice in this shared effort.

How Is My Child Impacted?

These budget cuts threaten to undermine our children’s education. If we do not act, the worst-case scenario will become a reality for every student in our district.

Loss of Highly Skilled Teachers to Deliver Excellent Instruction

We will lose up to 115 highly skilled teachers in reading, writing, math and science; the equivalent of losing 4 schools
Teachers across all grades Kindergarten through 8 will be eliminated, without consideration for performance

Educational Disruption to Every Grade
It’s critical to remember that the teachers we stand to lose are in all grades, Kindergarten through 8th. Cuts will be made on a seniority-basis, regardless of performance. This means that all teachers with four or less years of service² within Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) are at risk of being lost. Every grade will experience mass disruption as remaining teachers are reshuffled throughout the district, to new grades and even new schools. Teacher reshuffling disrupts existing instructional programs and curriculum development teams at local schools. If you think your child won’t be impacted, consider these examples:

The popular 4th grade teacher who was awarded "Teacher of the Year" in 2008, the one you've been looking forward to leading your child through long division and California history, will no longer be at our schools.
The 6th grade teacher, who is reputed to be phenomenal at helping our kids transition to middle school and engaging them in exciting science projects, will no longer be at our schools.
The kindergarten teacher, who has shepherded incoming kindergarteners for the last 4 years, and whom you were so looking forward to having for your little one, will no longer be at our schools.

Instead:

The veteran 1st grade teacher, who has taught 1st grade with dedication for the last 6 years, will now be reassigned to teach 5th grade.
The enthusiastic 2nd grade teacher will now be reassigned to teach 6th grade at the middle school.
The district's alternative school programs will now have transfers of teachers not familiar in the educational philosophy of an alternative school.

These very real scenarios represent the potential mis-match and steep adjustment that will come at the expense of our children. Every student in the district will experience the ripple effects from these cuts. The effects will hit their core academic instruction.

Weakened Academic Foundation
For kids in grades 1 through 3, these budget cuts will weaken their academic foundation. They will face a class size increase of 50% (30:1), which means less individualized attention in reading, writing, math and science, and a greater potential to be disengaged. Why is this important? Research has shown that students in smaller K-3 classrooms outperform their larger classroom counterparts on standardized tests in grades 4, 6 and 8, and continue to outperform counterparts at the high school level. In addition, the advantages of at least 3 years in small class instruction are equivalent to receiving an additional 6 to 14 months of schooling¹. Can we expect our kids to compete in Silicon Valley and beyond if we start them off up to 14 months behind their peers? For additional research on the benefits of smaller class size, visit our RESOURCES page.

Still Think You're Not Affected?
Any realtor will tell you location is the number one factor when it comes to housing value, and top quality schools play a big part in driving value. The high quality CUSD schools are a key reason our zip codes are among the top 100 most expensive within the nation (www.forbes.com). Our sought-after Cupertino schools and our students' high achievement have protected this community's value during the housing slump. These budget cuts and layoffs will decrease the quality of our schools and negatively impact the value of our homes. What will a 1% drop in property value equal for your home?

We believe you will agree that doing nothing is simply not an option. Please DONATE NOW and make your $375 contribution today.

Notes:

(1) Source: Class-Size Reduction Myths and Realities as archived on the US Department of Education’s website, referencing six long-term comprehensive studies on class size, including California’s CSR program

(2) Per district office administration, all certificated staff will be placed on a priority list according to length of service with CUSD. Layoffs will begin from the bottom of the list, with individuals registering lowest in seniority. Exceptions that can “skip” an individual to a higher priority include teachers with: BCLAD certification in Hebrew, Mandarin, Japanese, or Spanish; a valid Special Education Credential; a Single Subject Credential in science, math, and/or English; or NCLB authorization to teach science, math, and/or English in departmentalized setting.

Why Contribute to a District-wide Fund?

Contribution to a district-wide fund is the ONLY means to save core academic programs.

1) Only district-wide funds directly safeguard classroom instruction by:

Preventing the loss of up to 115 highly skilled K-8 teachers in our reading, writing, math and science programs
Averting mass disruption caused by seniority-based layoffs in every classroom throughout our district.
Maintaining small class size for individualized instruction in primary grades.

2) By policy, school-level fundraising is restricted from providing certificated personnel, as opposed to district funding. Therefore, it cannot fund teachers to save our current high quality academic programs.

With your $375 contribution, Their Future Is Now! will ensure a solid academic foundation in every classroom. In these extraordinary times, we must pursue both district-wide fundraising and school-level fundraising if we are to preserve the enriched educational experience our children receive today. Your school-level fundraising provides valuable programs that need your full support. Their Future Is Now! intends to raise funds in addition to (not instead of) the contributions you make to your school. This is not an either/or choice. All of our children are counting on us to reinforce our investment in their education and their future.

Please DONATE NOW to make your tax-deductible contribution today.

How Will the Money Be Used?

Our goal is to raise a total of $3.0 million through tax-deductible contributions to a restricted fund established by the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF). These funds will be applied to preserve and stabilize our core academic programs by reinstating up to 115 highly skilled teachers. At full funding, $3.0 million reinstates all teachers, prevents educational disruption from teacher reassignments in all grades and keeps the student to teacher ratio at 20:1 in primary grades across CUSD for the 2010-2011 school year.

Funds received will be applied in increments of approximately $300K. If the amount of funds raised in the campaign falls short of a pre-defined increment, then the funds will be applied to implement teachers in that particular increment as much as possible using logical and practical student to teacher ratios. Any residual campaign funds remaining in CEEF’s restricted fund at the end of this process will be distributed on a per-pupil basis to all 25 school sites in the district. These funds will be sent to the attention of the school principal for use to enhance educational programs at the individual school site. Schools will be asked to report back on the application of these funds.

Proposed Fund Raising Appropriation

Funds Raised	Fund Usage

$3.0m	Up to 115 teachers reinstated, 100% of disruption averted, 20:1 in primary grades
$2.0m	Up to 77 teachers reinstated, up to 70% of disruption averted, 24:1 in primary grades
$1.0m	Up to 38 teachers reinstated, up to 30% of disruption averted, 27:1 in primary grades

These appropriation guidelines have been outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding, signed under legal counsel by CEEF, CUSD, and parent leaders. CEEF ensures all donations received will go directly towards the stated purpose of the campaign. No administrative or campaign operating costs will be extracted. For further details, please contact your school lead, or direct questions to appropriations.TheirFutureIsNow@gmail.com.

CUSD Budget Crisis Background

Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget significantly reduced funding for public education. The direct impact on CUSD is a projected $7.3 million shortfall for the 2010-2011 school year. The CUSD School Board has been forced to take action to close this deficit. News and information on the current budget crisis are posted on the CUSD website.

The district has already taken action to implement $9.8 million in non-classroom cuts over the past 5 years and over $3 million in savings on an annual basis (page 2). While the School Board continues to work with employee organizations to find resolutions to the unprecedented deficit, action has already been taken to eliminate up to 115 Kindergarten to 8th grade teachers within the district.

To overcome this crisis, everyone must to do their part -- Board members, teachers, principals, staff and contracted service providers, and us parents. We are fundraising $3.0 million to safeguard core academic programs for our kids by reinstating our excellent teachers.

Layoff notices have already begun and will be finalized May 15 -- unless we, as a community, act now to prevent it! With just $375 from each district family, we can preserve the quality of education we've come to expect for our children. Please DONATE NOW to submit your tax-deductible contribution today.

The fundraising measures being taken by Their Future Is Now! are necessary due to the time constraints and immediate needs of the 2010-2011 school year. There are long term solutions currently being pursued to address these issues in future years. Assuming these long term efforts are successful, future fund raising campaigns such as this one will not be needed.