Marin corporate and nonprofit donors ponied up a record $1 million this year for the eighth annual SchoolsRule-Marin distribution event held Thursday.
The money, which was handed out in the form of checks to each public school foundation in the county, was allotted in equal per-student amounts based on the number of children in each district or school.
“SchoolsRule is a unique collaboration of every school district foundation in our county working together to raise funds for all students,” Trisha Garlock, president of SchoolsRule Marin said to about 150 educators, donors, students and parents Thursday at the Marin County Office of Education in San Rafael. “The funds collected are directed equally by student and make a tremendous impact on the districts most in need.”
@SanRafaelHigh rocking the house at @SchoolsRule distribution event. $1M! Thx @burkemaryjane Trisha Garlock @HeadsUpSR @SchoolsRule @marinij all who have contributed for 9 years! How far we have come! first meeting in 2010 that started with a simple idea! So proud! @SRCSSchools pic.twitter.com/hklf0xCC3v
— Maika Llorens Gulati (@MaikaLlorensGu) October 18, 2019
Garlock said she and Mary Jane Burke, Marin County superintendent of schools, were informed at the last minute that the program would hit the $1 million mark through a letter from Tom Peters, president and CEO of Marin Community Foundation, a major program donor. At the time Burke and Garlock got Peters’ letter, this year’s total was going to be $951,750.
“He said in the letter that the brilliant impetus to start SchoolsRule was a ‘million-dollar-idea,'” Garlock said. “Then he said, ‘I’m giving you a check for $48,250. A million-dollar-idea deserves a million-dollar-day.'”
Burke said Thursday that the program started out with $220,000 in donations the first year and has climbed steadily since then, totaling close to $5 million over the past eight years. Last year’s total was $888,129.
“At that time, it was just a dream,” Burke said of the early years.when some in the community were opposed to the idea of an across-the-board equal allotment for every child. “People said, ‘You think all kids are worthy?’ I said, ‘You bet we do.'”
On Thursday, each of more than 20 public school district foundations and schools stepped up to the podium to receive a piece of that pie. The school and foundation officials said they will use the money for enrichment programs such as literacy, technology, art, music or health.
“This is a watershed year for SchoolsRule,” said Emily Uhlhorn, a member of the SchoolsRule board of directors as well as a trustee of the Mill Valley School District. “As we reach a $1 million in distributions for 2019, Novato Unified School District is topping $1 million total over the last eight years and San Rafael City Schools is almost at $1 million. San Rafael’s elementary music program is financed by SchoolsRule.”
Over the years, Novato schools have used the SchoolsRule money to cover the cost of a musical instrument for every student who wanted one, said Susan Mathews, head of School Fuel, the Novato school district foundation.
This year, she said, Novato will use part of its SchoolsRule money to fund a partnership with Marin Museum of Contemporary Art to have professional artists attend fifth-grade art classes.
“We’re just lucky to live and work in a community that’s so generous and such a strong supporter of our schools,” said Kris Cosca, superintendent of the Novato district. “We couldn’t do what we do without the strong support of our community.”
Many of the program’s major donors, partners and sponsors had representatives at Thursday’s event to receive the thanks from school leaders as they picked up their checks. A full list of the donors and sponsors is available at SchoolsRule.org.
