One of the primary responsibilities of the Edison Parent Council is to raise funds to enrich the educational lives of our children. We offer many diverse ways for families and the community to support Edison, enabling people to choose the manner and amount of support. We raise funds through pledges (e.g. Jog-a-thon), sales, raffles, “free money” (eScrip and Box Tops), auction events, and direct giving.PLEASE consider donating any amount, large or small. This money goes directly to pay for incredibly valuable staff hours. These staff support our students with reading and math instruction, playground supervision, and classroom support. These staff this year are funded through dollars raised last year. If we are unable to raise enough funds, we may lose these wonderful staff next year.
There are two ways to give:
Online: Go to https://eugeneeducationfoundation. salsalabs.org/edison to make a one-time or recurring donation.
Check or Cash: Bring a check (made out to Edison Elementary) or cash to the Edison office.
All donations are tax deductible (Tax ID # 93-6000566) and make a direct impact on the great kids in our wonderful school. Thank you to the families and friends who have donated already!
eScrip
This is the easiest way to help raise money for our school. It is free for all donors who register for the program and participants do not need to live in Eugene or even Oregon to be earning money for the school. Encourage your friends, neighbors and relatives to support Edison this way.
How it Works
Register any one or all of your existing grocery loyalty, debit and credit cards for use in the program. Participating merchants will make contributions to Edison, based on purchases made by you, just by using the cards you have registered. There are no receipts to collect, no vouchers or certificates to buy, no hassles for you and every purchase counts. Your purchases are tracked and available to you online, allowing you to see just how much you are earning on your child’s behalf!
- Sign Up Now Click here to create your account. www.escrip.com
- Register the numbers of your most used grocery loyalty cards, credit cards, and debit/ATM cards.
- Remember your password and get onto eScrip at least twice a year to review and update your file.
Traditional Box Tops clips are being phased out of production, but may continue to be found on many products throughout the store. You can still clip and send them to school.
Every valid Box Tops clip is worth 10¢ for your school. Make sure each one has a clearly visible product acronym and expiration date.
Eventually the Box Tops program will become digital-only. Participating brands are starting to change their packaging from a traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Top label. If you see this label, use the new Box Tops app to scan your receipt. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ each for your school. The app will find participating products purchased at any store and instantly add cash to your school’s earnings online.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE MOST TIME-EFFICIENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO SUPPORT EDISON FINANCIALLY?
By far, direct donation on a monthly basis is the easiest way to support Edison. The more funds we can raise through direct donations, the less time we will have to put into time-consuming fundraisers and, instead, we can direct that volunteer time to educational and enrichment activities.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE?
Here is what it takes, from every family, to keep our school fully funded. On average, families need to give $300 annually. However, that assumes all Edison families have the same ability to support their school financially. Some families cannot afford to give that much, so for every family can’t, we need another family that can do more. Working together as a community, this is how we reach our fundraising goals:
- 2 families giving $6,000 (or $500/month)
- 10 families giving $2,400 ($200/month)
- 10 families giving $1,200 (or $100/month)
- 50 families giving $600 (or $50/month)
- 50 families giving $300 (or $25/month)
- 75 families giving $120 (or $10/month)
- 100 families giving $0 to $60 (or $0-$5/month)
Note that the lowest level of giving is reserved for our families that qualify for FRPL. If you do not qualify, critical school programs depend on you to give at a higher level.
WHY FUNDRAISE?
Public school budgets are not what they once were. Services like full-time nurses, librarians, music or art teachers, and support staff are a thing of the past. At Edison, this is compounded by 4J’s need-based equity funding arrangement. While nearly 30% of Edison students qualify for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL), Edison still receives less funding per student than schools that have a higher percentage of FRPL eligible students.
But Edison is fortunate: our families are committed to providing the offerings we think our children need and, therefore, we are committed to volunteering and fundraising to fill the gaps. Each year we need to raise enough money to support funding for our essential Educational Assistants who provide enrichment and tutoring, as well as keep our kids safe. Parent-generated funds also go to support artists-in-residence, yoga, Meet the Masters curriculum, books for the library, scholarships for fieldtrips or school supplies, and much more.
SHOULDN’T PUBLIC EDUCATION BE PUBLICLY FUNDED?
Yes! If you believe, as Parent Council does, that public education should be better funded by public sources, we welcome you to join other Edison parents working towards this goal. Monthly Parent Council meetings are a good place to meet other parents involved with organizations or legislators that support increased school funding. Meetings are on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Edison Library. Free childcare and snacks are provided.