The most recent financial cutbacks facing the Palo Alto Unified School District have impacted the classroom, teachers and staff in a number of negative ways.
While there has been a great deal of discussion of the negative impact on the academic programs, little has been discussed about how this financial crunch will impact the athletic programs across the PAUSD.

"On a historical basis, the PAUSD has correctly decided to allocate the vast majority of it funds to the academic programs across the district," said Barb Champion, Paly’s pool committee fundraising chairman.

One can conclude less and less funding has been made available to support the athletic teams or improve their facilities. Apparently, the parents and community members know how much the fundraising of student athletes goes into their sports programs. I think it’s time we all recognized the efforts of our own community support, which has taken shape in the form of the Paly Sports boosters and the ACCEL Foundation.

For nearly two decades, it has been the dedication of parents and athletic followers in the Palo Alto community and Sports Boosters that have funded the athletic programs at Paly. The same is true at Gunn High School; they also have a Sports Boosters program. Without this financial support, the benefits of teamwork, discipline, fitness and interscholastic competition that student athletes gain across Paly’s 42 men and women’s teams would be lost. Fortunately student athletes at Paly have been supported by two sports-minded fundraising organizations.

According to the Paly Sports Boosters web site, the Paly Sports Boosters has been providing up to 100% of the funding for the non-coaching-related expenses of Paly’s athletic programs for many years. The Paly Sports Boosters has seen its role change dramatically, beginning as a group of parents, staff and community members interested in boosting school spirit and providing additional funding for Paly’s sports teams. As indicated in the Sports Boosters web site, over the past several years, the Paly Sports Boosters paid over $140,000 to cover the non-coaching expenses associated with Paly’s athletic programs. The largest portion of this came from the $150 participation fee families are asked to pay when their athlete is on a team. The remainder was raised through a variety of fundraising events.

Four years ago, the Athletic Communities Create Exceptional Leaders (ACCEL) Foundation was formed to improve the physical education and athletic facilities at Paly.

"The ACCEL Foundation raised nearly $1 million to replace the old track with a new all-weather, eight-lane track," said Shelley Jones, ACCEL Foundation vice president.

Currently the ACCEL Foundation is working with the PAUSD to complete the construction of a 35-meter by 25-yard pool.

"Without the broad base of support across the Paly community the improvements to the athletic facilities would not happen," said Jones. "We are fortunate to have such a generous community."

A few other communities around the Bay Area and the nation are just as generous, if not more. For example, in Woodside, California an anonymous donation of $7.86 million helped pay for a new gym. The donation also helped to fund a new swimming pool. By using the anonymous donation, Woodside was able to apply the money from three recent school bonds to a new performing arts center. Woodside High School Principal Linda Common was quoted as saying "Both facilities should give students a sense of pride in their school — just as they give her pride in the Woodside community."

Similar to the Woodside donation, the contributions toward improving athletic facilities and paying for the operating expenses for the athletic programs will allow PAUSD to use its available recourses to improve the school’s academic and arts programs. The combination of private donations with other PAUSD resources allows Paly the opportunity to improve its athletic and academic facilities. To all of you who have contributed to these organizations, I give thanks.