RBEF Presents Record-Breaking Grant to RBUSD

The Redondo Beach Educational Foundation (RBEF) presented RBUSD School Board President, David Witkin, with a record-breaking $1,011,000 check at Tuesday’s School Board meeting. This is RBEF’s largest grant to date. The money will be used to supplement decreasing state funds for staff and instructional programs in all RBUSD schools.

“State funding alone does not provide enough resources for our school district to afford all the programs and staff that we believe are essential for our students to compete and be successful in a global society,” said David Witkin, School Board President. “We could not be more proud of our partnership with the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation and our community for their generous contributions to our kids’ education.”

State and federal funding for California schools has steadily decreased in recent years and is consistently not enough to support the arts, STEM, and college and career readiness programs that RBUSD provides its students. RBEF is the only organization that can raise funds for additional staff and district-sponsored programs. Each year, RBUSD identifies the specific needs that can’t be met by its current funding and makes that request directly to RBEF. This directive becomes the funding goal that is achieved through RBEF’s fundraising initiatives including its Annual Investor Drive, Skechers Walk (October 28, 2018), Golf Tournament (November 5, 2018) and Spring Gala (April 27, 2019).

“RBUSD provides our students and staff the ‘value added’ piece to the learning puzzle. With the state’s decline in public education funding, it’s RBEF that has come to our rescue,” said Dr. Steven Keller, Superintendent, RBUSD. “Without RBEF’s influence and financial resources, RBUSD would not be able to meet the growing needs of our students and staff.”

Thanks to RBEF and its support, RBUSD will be able to provide its elementary schools with credentialed physical education teachers, 5th grade band teachers and 1st through 4th grade vocal music teachers; middle schools with a math coaching model and an 8th grade trip to the Museum of Tolerance; and high schools with AVID, local community college and four year college visits including vocational/trade school visits, band instruments, STEM, PLTW, career technical education, responsible social media presentations and workshops; robotics teams at its elementary, middle schools and high school; and teacher grants and college field trips at all levels.

“We could not be more pleased with the amount of money our community raised this past year,” said Hanh Archer, President, RBEF. “With this year’s enrollment set to exceed 10,000 students, it will be even more critical that RBEF keep up the momentum in our fundraising efforts.”

The school year kicks off on Wednesday, August 29th and the Annual Investor Drive will begin on Tuesday, September 4th. Families can make an impact on students by investing $250 per student and participating in RBEF annual fundraising events. They can invest online at www.rbef.org with a one-time investment or make monthly payments of as low as $21.

The Redondo Beach Educational Foundation (RBEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise money to supplement state funds for staff and instructional programs in all RBUSD schools. Established in 1991 by a group of concerned parents and community leaders who realized that an excellent school system could not rely on state funding alone, RBEF raises money through its annual investor drive, business partnerships and special events. We believe the best opportunities come from raising the most well-rounded children, and we support whole child development.