Press Release, Oct 4, 2006

By Katherine D. White

Candidates Easton, White and McDowell Criticize DMUSD School Board for Lack of Leadership on Foundation Fiasco

Annette Easton, current school board member and candidate for re-election, joined Katherine White and Steven McDowell, also candidates for school board, today to publicly reject the notion that the Del Mar School District has no oversight responsibility for the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation. "It is unconscionable that Ms. Myers, board president, and the superintendent dismiss the board's obligation to the community on this issue. They apparently believe that the chaos surrounding the Foundation and the PTAs is not the board's responsibility," stated Annette Easton. "I believe it is our responsibility."

The fact is that the Foundation and the school district are integrally related:
1. Legally, the Foundation is tied to the district as a California non-profit public benefit corporation and can only benefit our school district,
2. The district superintendent and a school board member sit on the Foundation board as ex officio members and attend nearly all of the Foundation meetings,
3. The district superintendent sets the Foundation fundraising goals for each school site,
4. The Foundation's offices are located in the district offices at no charge,
5. The Foundation website is hosted on the district server, at no cost, to the Foundation,
6. According to the Form 990, the district paid the Foundation over $20,000 last year to cover expenses, and
7. Virtually all of the individual donors to the Foundation are current parents, many of whom also volunteer to assist the Foundation in raising money for enrichment teachers in Del Mar schools.

Superintendent Bishop and a school board member attend Foundation meetings and yet there have been no school board discussions about the emerging conflict. "There is no reasonable way the school board or the superintendent can claim they have no responsibility for the conflict that currently exists in our school district," said Steven McDowell. "A lack of leadership and a serious lack of due diligence and sound policy making on the part of the school board have led to this crisis in fundraising for enrichment programs in our district," he added.

Easton, White and McDowell announce today a call for a comprehensive long-term strategy to address district budgeting practices, educational priorities, equity issues and fundraising policies for the Foundation, PTAs and other supporting organizations. "At this time, no one in the district or at the Foundation have all the facts regarding the issue. It's as if people are looking at an accident scene through holes in a fence. We need to take down the fence. We have a complex problem that has gotten out of control, and we need to work carefully to sort out the problems and find the best long term solution for our district," said Katherine White. "This is a disaster for the Foundation, our PTAs and for our kids. We must get all the facts on the table and bring parents, teachers, and principals together to solve the problem." #