Urgent Call to Action: Save the Arts!
Donate Today! Pledges and donations urgently needed by May 15th, 2024.
Why Do the Arts Need Saving?
The Edmonds School District, with 34 schools and almost 21,000 students, has been named one of the best 100 communities for music education - recognized 13 times since 2005. Our concert and jazz performing groups are consistently rated superior at regional, state, and national festivals. With a minority enrollment exceeding 50%, representing 134 languages, and a graduation rate of 84%, the district has been a beacon of diversity and educational excellence. However, the district's legacy of excellence, painstakingly built over many decades, faces imminent risk of being dismantled due to budget cuts.
What Will We Do?
The Foundation for Edmonds School District is an independent nonprofit organization with the mission to develop community partnerships and bridge sustainable funding in support of the Edmonds School District’s children, families, and educators in their pursuit of educational excellence. As retired Edmonds School District Trustee Ann McMurray stated, "The Foundation is a trusted partner who has stayed true to their roots over the years."
Recognized Community Leader Jack Faris echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of arts and music programs: "Arts and music programs deserve our generous support. Our son and daughter were exposed to art history, drama, and a joyful music program at Seaview Elementary in Edmonds. Every once in a while, you get a concert pianist, a movie star, or a successful painter. But far more important, you get countless children who learn to appreciate and make art, who discover how music can transport, and who learn self-confidence through their performances in plays, dance recitals, choirs, etc."
The district’s budget cuts will adversely impact students now and in the future. While we work to prioritize arts education and advocate for changes in how education is funded in the district, raising funds outside the budget process is critical and urgent to save visual and performing arts programs. To ensure a robust, well-rounded education for all our students, in which the arts continue to thrive, we have developed a two-part Save the Arts Campaign.
How Can You Help?
We need to raise $1.5 million in pledges by May 15th, 2024, with funds received by July 31st, 2024, to fund arts programs for the 2024/25 school year and an additional $750k to be received by March 31, 2025, for arts programs in the 2025/26 school year to sustain current programs in music and visual and performing arts throughout the district. At the same time, the Foundation is building the $10 million DeMiero Family Endowment for the Visual and Performing Arts for long term sustainability.
Your support is crucial. Together, we can ensure that every student in our district has access to a well-rounded education that includes the arts. Join us in preserving our legacy of excellence and empowering future generations to thrive. Donate Today to make a lasting impact in our community! Pledges and donations needed by May 15th, 2024.
