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Schools

Disparities in Parent Donations to Albany Elementary Schools on Board of Education Agenda Tonight

The district has pledged to ensure that services and programs are spread equitably across the three schools.

[Editor's Note: School officials said in the Oct. 5 Board of Education meeting that the way donations below were calculated was unreliable and inconsistent, and pledged to work to provide a more accurate understanding of what schools receive from parent donations. Albany Patch will report new data as they become available.]

The Board of Education will consider ways to address disparities in parent donations across Albany elementary schools at tonight's board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

At issue are programs offered during the school day, which the Albany Unified School District has pledged to ensure are equitable.

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Ocean View brought in about $28,500 last year in parent donations, according to data released by the district. Marin nearly doubled that with almost $54,000 in donations, and Cornell received almost $73,000, according to documents released along with the Board of Education meeting agenda, attached as a PDF to this story. (As it turns out, the data are not reliable, but they are the only official numbers available at this time.)

The number of school field trips was fairly consistent, though disparities were sharp in kindergarten through second grades.

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Overall, Cornell had 38 total trips last school year, Ocean View had 48 and Marin had 51.

Ocean View kindergarten students had nine field trips, while Cornell students had none. Marin had six.

At the first-grade level, Marin students took 10 field trips, Ocean View nine and Cornell just four. 

Ocean View second graders took two field trips last year, compared with 11 for Cornell and 12 for Marin.

At tonight's meeting, the board plans to discuss the supplemental enrichment programs, particularly in relation to which of them can occur within the school day, and which will have to occur outside regular hours, to "determine how they can be funded and made available at all 3 schools," according to the agenda.

Last year, the Board of Education adopted new board policies, one of which, BP 3290, explains that "all gifts, grants and bequests shall become district property."

Another policy, BP 5000, asserts that "The Board is fully committed to providing equal educational opportunities."

It wasn't completely clear from the document whether donations to individual schools were allowed, or how the the district viewed such donations, and whether they were distinct from donations to the district as a whole.

Parents at Marin Elementary already have expressed some alarm in connection with tonight's discussion, in the form of an "urgent" e-mail sent Oct. 2.

The Marin PTA urged parents to speak up at tonight's meeting in connection with art, chess and poetry programs that have, until now, been offered during class time as the result of Marin PTA donations.

"If you are interested in fighting to restore these and other programs at Marin," the e-mail urged, "please attend the School Board of Education meeting this Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and voice your opinions."

The board plans to hold a Study Session on Nov. 3, with site and district staff, parents and community members "to discuss ways to insure educational equity for all elementary students."

Learn more about tonight's board meeting here, via notes by board member Pat Low.

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