Not many things get people excited like a large fundraising check, and that’s exactly what the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education will be receiving this week.
During Thursday’s meeting of the board, the Santa Monica Education Foundation (SMEF) will give its annual report on fundraising efforts for the district, highlighting an uptick in community donations. SMEF’s funding for 2024-25 district programs totals $2,409,000; more than $200,000 than last year’s campaign, anchored by a record-setting wine auction event in May.
Held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, SMEF raised $435,000 at the wine auction, part of a long-term partnership between the organization and the hotel. In late January, the Fairmont matched donations to SMEF up to $25,000, an endeavor hotel General Manager Sam Jagger hoped "inspires others in our community to support our public schools."
"We are honored to continue our support for such an important cause, for the children in Santa Monica’s public schools," Jagger said in January. "We remain dedicated to being involved in our community, and a core way of doing that is through our partnership with (SMEF), with a mission to help Santa Monica’s students thrive in enriching academic, arts, STEM and other programs."
Overall, SMEF attracted 2,404 donors in the 2023-24 fundraising campaign, up 8% from the prior year, taking in $980 per donor. Although major donors were down 4%, SMEF’s efforts were inflated by parent participation, which was a 17% increase from last year. Another success came from the "Corporate Heroes" program, bringing in $340,741, a staggering jump of 80% from the prior campaign.
Out of the $2,409,000; the majority ($1.8 million) goes toward annually funded district programs; while $361,000 is given to endowment-funded programs, $120,000 goes toward the Samohi Scholarship Fund and approximately $128,000 will boost the district’s athletic programs.
The board will also be looking forward to November elections at its meeting, recommended by staff to adopt a resolution supporting Proposition 2 on the state ballot. The proposition, titled "Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Schools and Local Community College Public Education Facilities Modernization, Repair, and Safety Bond Act of 2024," would provide $8.5 billion to California K-12 schools, including $4 billion for modernization endeavors and $3.3 billion for new construction.
District officials are already broaching how much Proposition 2 would impact each school site, as five-year modernization eligibility amounts proposed include over $23 million going to Samohi, just over $7 million towards Lincoln Middle School and over $6 million going to John Adams Middle School. The district may also be eligible for grants in new construction, Transitional Kindergarten program efforts and Career Technical Education.
thomas@smdp.com
