09/20/2024 -
SchoolsRule Sonoma County, a fundraising project of the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE), celebrated the distribution of nearly $136,400 to public school districts and education foundations throughout the region during an inaugural event held Thursday, Sept. 19, at Amarosa Academy in Santa Rosa.
County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Amie Carter launched SchoolsRule in November to fundraise on behalf of every public school student in Sonoma County.
On Thursday, local education foundation members and leaders from districts that lack such groups received checks from SchoolsRule ranging from $250 to more than $23,000. Distribution recipients included Petaluma Educational Foundation ($23,674), The Education Foundation of Cotati & Rohnert Park ($13,147), and Made in Santa Rosa Foundation ($12,432).
Roughly 70 community members, including local business owners and elected officials, attended the event. In her comments to attendees, Carter touched on a moment in her career as an educator when less than $70 stood in the way of launching a project that would deepen her students’ learning.
“I can't really articulate for you how much of a game changer just a small contribution can be to how an educator teaches our children,” Carter said. “In these difficult financial times, things like field trip opportunities become things that are very difficult for a school district to afford and a fund like this can fill in and make sure that those rich opportunities are available to all of our students.”
“I know that everyone here is committed to our young people and committed to our schools,” Carter added. “SchoolsRule Sonoma County is taking the lead in bridging our community and strengthening our collective impact.”
Funds raised for SchoolsRule were distributed on a per-student basis and will be allocated to school sites and classrooms by the fund recipients. Education foundations and districts will target funding along the following program areas: literacy; student well-being; agriculture and hospitality; and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math).
Joanne Parker, president of the Cloverdale Adds Resources for Education Foundation (CARE), also spoke. She underscored the importance of field trips for Cloverdale students in particular, given how geographically isolated their community is.
“We really appreciate the extra resource, and the countywide lift,” Parker said of the SchoolsRule funds.
Members of SchoolsRule’s Founders Circle who have committed to supporting SchoolsRule Sonoma County at $2,500 or more annually for three years were presented with plaques. These founders include Redwood Credit Union, Exchange Bank, The Press Democrat, Sutter Health, and Friedman’s Home Improvement.
Donors provided nearly $132,800 toward Thursday’s distribution, which was allocated to recipients based on the number of students they serve. In addition, SCOE contributed roughly $3,600 to provide extra support for Sonoma County’s smallest school districts.
SCOE’s initiative is modeled after SchoolsRule-Marin, which has raised more than $7.6 million for Marin’s public school students since 2012. A detailed breakdown of the 2024 distribution is available at this link.
