Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) will donate $2.57 million to the Palo Alto Unified School District for use during the 2009-2010 school year, according to a press release published on Thursday, March 5.

According to the press release, PAUSD schools will use the funds “for school aides and specialists, enrichment programs and college counselors.” For high schools, the majority of the funds will be allocated for college and career counselors and other educational needs.

PiE’s donation of $2.57 million is a 12 percent increase from the funds donated to PAUSD during the previous school year, which totaled $2.3 million, according to PiE’s annual report for the 2007-2008 school year.

With its donation, PiE has met the first of its two goals for the 2008-2009 school year, which was to donate over $2.5 million to PAUSD schools. According to its Web site, PiE’s second main objective is to “continue to improve our relationship with the district and all other organizations that support the well being of PAUSD and its students.”

Palo Alto PiE is a non-profit organization that works with the school district, parents, and the community to raise funds for “enhancing educational excellence,” according to the Web site.

PiE’s high school fundraising targets for the current school year include college and career counseling, career tech education electives, and integration of technology into curriculum.