Mission
Founded in 1980, the San Marino Schools Foundation (SMSF) provides financial support to the San Marino Unified School District (SMUSD), empowering the objective of delivering a world-class education with recognized excellence in academics, arts, athletics, and activities at each of its four schools: Carver Elementary, Valentine Elementary, Huntington Middle School, and San Marino High School.
We are a community driven fundraising organization, providing the much needed funds for teachers and programs to inspire learning, promote innovation, and empower academic excellence in our schools. To date, SMSF has donated over $66 million to support public education in our community.
History
The San Marino Schools Foundation was founded in 1980 by a group of committed parents and community members as a direct response to significant changes in how public education is funded in California.
Historically, public school districts were funded from local property taxes. This meant that public school districts in high property-value communities like San Marino had a larger tax base to support its schools than communities with lower property values. However, this also resulted in a disparity in public education funding. In response, California passed Prop 13 in 1978 that not only lowered annual property tax assessment rates but also required local property taxes to be redistributed throughout the state. This formula left SMUSD with a per capita student funding that was 25 percent lower than the California average.
These events motivated the Board of Education and a group of attorneys and community leaders to form the San Marino Schools Foundation, a California public benefit corporation.
In its first year, SMSF raised $50,000. In the 45 years since its founding, SMSF has raised over $66 million for the San Marino Unified School District - all thanks to our fantastic community and family supporters - and will continue to raise monies to empower excellence in our schools.
To learn more about public education funding in California, visit www.EdSource.org.
