By now, those of us in the Last Lomitas School District have received literature encouraging us to vote "Yes on S", a bond issue to build classrooms in response to the growing school population. My husband and I, longtime Ladera residents, have voted yes for previous bond measures, and we intend to do so again. However, we are very aware of the crisis in the country with the growing income, achievement, and opportunity gap. This disparity exists right in our own community when we include East Palo Alto, Redwood City, and East Menlo Park. While those of us in the more affluent districts can count on Educational Foundations to supplement annual budgets, the less affluent districts do not have this luxury. We can also periodically call on the community to pass a bond issue and more often than not achieve success while our less affluent neighbors cannot.
Therefore, as we consider voting for Measure S, we ask that you consider making an annual donation to one of the many non-profits that help to close the opportunity gap by preparing low-income students for college, helping them with the college application, and financial aid process, providing financial and mentoring support through college, providing summer internships as part of career readiness. These are just a few of the organizations to consider: College Track, Foundation for a College Education, East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, Peninsula College Fund (full disclosure, I am on the Board), East Side College Prep, Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula.
By making a contribution to one of these organizations, we may feel the satisfaction that "we are not part of the problem but part of the solution".
Thanks for your consideration,
Mary Cooper
