What We Do

The Redwood City Education Foundation has supported students for over 40 years by providing additional funding and resources. Their goal is to bridge the gap between state funding and the actual cost of education. They also aim to address economic and learning barriers to success, promote equity among students, and reduce opportunity gaps.

Our Strategy

RCEF offers financial support, advocates for more resources and evidence-based practices, and engages directly with the community. These combined efforts support under-resourced schools, helping to create vibrant, thriving learning environments. As the learning environment at the school improves with an infusion of needed resources, RCEF anticipates that students will become more engaged on campus and in the classroom, develop critical social-emotional skills, and increase their overall academic performance.

Financial Support

We support students by investing in targeted programs that improve reading and math scores and strengthen student engagement and social-emotional learning.

Advocacy

We advocate for increases in per-pupil funding for all schools in RCSD by driving coalitions to support policies impacting underserved students and monitoring revenue-generating opportunities.

Community Engagement

We engage with the community to better understand the needs of schools and families. We share learning and best practices by creating opportunities for connections between families and schools.

Addressing Inequity

100% of our programs target the 1,600 students at Hoover, Garfield, and Taft Community Schools.

To best address the inequities in education and reduce disparities in student outcomes, RCEF stewards resources to the most under-resourced schools and have no Parent Teacher Organizations to help fund critical programs.

These three schools have the most significant percentages of low-income students, defined as students who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL) and those identified as English-Language Learners in the Redwood City School District.

Community Schools promote student success by focusing on the broad community context in which education and learning happen. The fundamental belief guiding this approach is that schools, families, and communities can work together for their common good. Community schools draw from several disciplines, such as education and youth development.

Read RCEF Summary

Inequality

Unequal access to opportunities

Equality

Evenly distributed tools and assistance

Equity

Custom tools that identify and address inequality

Justice

Fixing the system to offer equal access to both tools and opportunities

School Funding Facts

Local property taxes primarily funded California schools. School districts could set their tax rates, and the revenue from these taxes was used to support local schools. The state also provided some school funding, but this was a relatively small percentage of overall school funding. This system of local property tax funding for schools led to significant disparities in funding between wealthy and poor districts. Wealthy districts with high property values could generate more school revenue, while more impoverished communities needed help to fund basic educational programs.

California Proposition 13, passed in 1978, significantly impacted education in California. Proposition 13 placed a cap on property tax rates, significantly reducing local governments' and school districts' property tax revenue. The reduction in property tax revenue caused by Proposition 13 also led to significant cuts in school funding, resulting in larger class sizes, reduced instructional time, and fewer extracurricular programs. In addition, Proposition 13 limited the ability of school districts to raise revenue through local taxes, making it difficult for communities to meet the needs of their students. California's financial education system went from one of the best in the country to one of the lowest-ranked school funding systems.

In the years since Proposition 13 was passed, the state has had to increase its school funding to compensate for the loss of revenue from local property taxes. Here are some key sources of funding for California schools: State funding: California provides funding to schools for basic educational programs. Because state funds come in through income tax, school funding is volatile and can change depending on the economy. Federal funding: The federal government program, Title I provides funds to schools with a high percentage of low-income students. Local sources: Funds for individual schools come through property and parcel tax measures. Education Foundations were created to fill the gap in the district budget shortfall.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FUNDING

The money each school district gets from the State is tied to the number of students in each grade, student demographics, and student attendance. Local funding levels can vary widely across school districts in California, with some districts receiving significantly more funding than others. This can be due to property values, affluence, and local tax policies supplementing Per-Pupil Budget. As a result, some school districts in the Peninsula have nearly twice the resources for public education as the Redwood City School District. These inequities make it more challenging for our district to retain quality teachers and create the best learning conditions. RCEF works to close the gap between the resources our district receives and the actual cost of educating our students. Yet, Redwood City remains the school district with the lowest level of local support.

All students should have access to the same high-quality education, regardless of their background or socio-economic status. However, in less affluent schools, there are often significant barriers along their education journey that can prevent students from achieving their full potential. The accompanying graph shows the percentage of Unduplicated Pupil Count (UPC) for students who are eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM), are English learners (EL), and who are foster youth across various districts. For perspective, RCEF-funded schools have over 90% of students falling under the UPC category, drastically increasing their educational barriers compared to other students in the Peninsula. Because of long-standing neighborhood segregation and systemic racism, districts with high UPC percentages serve primarily Black and Latinx students, presenting a severe equity problem.

Adequate education refers to a level sufficient to meet a student's needs and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to lead a fulfilling and productive life. When families' resources are low, the district's costs to make up for educational resource differences increase. The state does spend more in districts serving higher percentages of low-income students and English learners, but more is needed. This graph shows that Redwood City School District requires 49% more funding to provide an adequate education. Creating a more equitable education system involves policy changes at the state and federal levels and community-level efforts to support schools and families.

NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS COMPARISON

Hoover Community School

Teacher Professional Development

Funding is allocated to provide substitute teacher support during professional development training for educators. This ensures uninterrupted classroom instruction while teachers enhance curriculum, analyze learning data, and implement strategies to boost student engagement and achievement.

Garfield Community School

College Advising Prep Tutoring

This program supports Garfield's math and literacy interventions by funding program materials, student assessments, and expert tutors. Through one-on-one and small-group tutoring, the program raises math scores by an average of 1.0 grade level in one year.

Taft Community School

Full-Time STEAM Teacher

Full-time STEAM teachers provide weekly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) lessons and bi-weekly art classes for kindergarten through fifth grade (K-5) students, enriching their educational experience with hands-on, interdisciplinary learning opportunities.

Why Funding is Necessary

California consistently ranks near the bottom of the nation in per-student funding for education, a consequence of the 1978 funding reform known as Proposition 13. Many school districts need help to meet their students' basic needs, especially in diverse communities like Redwood City.

Redwood City is rich in culture, unity, and resilience. However, historical segregation and redlining have created lasting disadvantages for families in areas like the Bayside neighborhoods and North Fair Oaks. Students here face higher needs and more barriers to quality education, making equitable resource distribution critical.

In contrast, neighboring districts like Menlo Park-Atherton, Palo Alto, Woodside, and Portola Valley face fewer challenges. They have almost no students experiencing homelessness, foster youth, English language learners, or poverty and can spend thousands more per student, creating a stark disparity in educational opportunities.

Your donations to the RCEF are crucial in bridging the gap, directly investing in our students' futures, and strengthening the entire Redwood City community. It takes all of us to educate our youth and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.

INEQUALITY

Unequal access to opportunities

EQUALITY

Evenly distributed tools and assistance

EQUITY

Custom tools that identify and address inequality

JUSTICE

Fixing the system to offer equal access to both tools and opportunities

How RCEF Helps

At RCEF, we are committed to transforming Redwood City schools into thriving educational environments where every student can excel academically, socially, and personally. Our strategy focuses on bridging the gap between state funding and the actual cost of education while addressing economic and learning barriers. We empower schools to achieve their full potential through our integrated financial support, advocacy, and community engagement approach.

Through these efforts, RCEF is dedicated to creating equitable and inclusive learning environments where students thrive and communities flourish.

RCEF: PTO Intro Presentation

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We invest in targeted programs that enhance reading and math proficiency, boost student engagement, and foster social-emotional learning. We also ensure access to comprehensive educational opportunities to support every child's holistic development.

Your Donation Funds:

Math Support

Reading Support

Mental Health Counseling

Social Emotional Learning

S.T.E.A.M Lessons

Family Partnership Activities

Essential Needs

Equitable Education

RCEF'S Impact on Schools:

2,000+

Students served across four schools annually

$600k+

Invested into Redwood City community school students per year

1-3 grade levels

Increase in students’ math and reading grade level skills from academic support

What Community Support Makes Possible

We invest in priorities that support student success and expand access to educational opportunities:

Academic Growth
& Enrichment

STEAM instruction, literacy and math tutoring, educator planning and preparation time, professional learning, coaching, and collaboration.

Mental Health & Wellness

Counseling, social-emotional support, and safe, supportive environments that help students feel supported, connected, and ready to learn.

Family Engagement & Navigation

Parent education, leadership, access to information, and stronger school-family connections that help families participate and advocate.

Essential & Emerging Needs

Flexible resources that help students, families, and educators respond to immediate needs and participate fully in school life.

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

About the Redwood City Education Foundation

Cultivate community resources to promote equitable education, reduce barriers to engagement, and support the success of underserved TK–8 public school students in Redwood City.

We listen to schools and families, use data and local experience to guide our decisions, and invest in the conditions surrounding learning.

DONATE

Nurturing Student Success

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“A BIG THANK YOU to you and RCEF! The amount of work you have invested in our community and the neighboring communities is so appreciated. I don’t always see follow through with our community partners but you have shown us such a commitment to support us. I love the fact that you are an action-oriented organization! I’m really looking forward to our work this year.”

— Lupe Torres-Khalil, Principal at Garfield Community School