President's Message

Dear Eureka Union School District Community,

As a collective community, we are painfully aware of the shrinking reductions and budget cuts to our state’s public education system.  Here in our local district, we are faced with the additional challenge of declining enrollment, which again equates to fewer state dollars coming into our district each year.  As a result, the Eureka Union School District is facing unprecedented financial challenges that will impact our children, teachers, and community. 

Many parents and business leaders ask “How can I help?”  That’s where The Eureka Schools Foundation (ESF) comes in.  Founded over 18 years ago by leaders in our community, ESF is a private fundraising foundation that strives to bridge the gap between what the State of California gives to our school district versus what our children and teachers need to keep our district strong.  Since its founding, ESF has raised over $4.5 million dollars.  That money goes directly to the Eureka Union School District and the children in our community for enrichment programs and staff, specifically librarians, computer technology and technology teachers, foreign language, music and athletics.  There are no state funds for these programs and without ESF, our children, like many others in California, will go without these key elements to their education. 

The reality is that offering our children a robust, quality education takes money.  The Eureka Union School District is one of the top performing school districts in the state, and has been for many years.  Our test scores our extremely high and part of the culture and pride of our community.  Many families have moved into our district because of our excellent schools, and paid a premium for their home.  Due to the unprecedented financial challenges we now face, our district is at risk of looking like many other districts in California; larger class sizes, more school closures, little or no enrichment programs for students, plummeting test scores, and lay-off notices to valuable teachers. 

Therefore, I ask that every family in our district consider making a financial contribution to our schools.  Please put your community and your child’s education first and donate to ESF today.  It’s simple and it’s tax deductible.  Simply visit www.eurekaschoolsfoundation.org and click the DONATE NOW button.  Without the involvement and support of virtually every district family, these problems will not be solved and our children’s education will suffer.   

I hope you will visit our website and learn more about ESF and the programs we fund, and most importantly, how you can get involved as a volunteer or attend one of our many fundraising events.  Your questions and comments are always welcome.  My contact information is below.  I would appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Renee C. Nash

rnash@surewest.net

President, Eureka Schools Foundation