FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS  

WHAT IS ONE?

ONE is the Orinda Network for Education - a collaboration between the Parents’ Clubs of all the OUSD schools (Del Rey, Glorietta, OIS, Sleepy Hollow, and Wagner Ranch) and the Miramonte Parents’ Club, and was established to streamline and maximize education fundraising efforts and resources in our town.

WHAT IS ONE-SLEEPY HOLLOW?

ONE-Sleepy Hollow is the Sleepy Hollow Parents’ Club’s fundraising campaign for ONE. We raise the money, and we decide how it is spent to benefit Sleepy Hollow. Your donations go to ONE (and your receipt will have ONE’s 501(c)(3) tax number) because all Orinda schools will do better, in the short and long term, by collaborating and by pooling resources controlled by their Parents’ Clubs.

WHAT IS THE “ONE ASK”?

The ONE Ask is the most important part of simplifying fundraising. For many years, parents were asked to donate twice every year - once to their school's Parents’ Club, and then again to the Educational Foundation of Orinda. Many (if not most) families never understood that fully funding Sleepy Hollow’s budget depended on donating to both campaigns. And sometimes families would give to just one, forgetting the other.

In the ONE Ask model, Sleepy Hollow Parents’ Club raises all of the money it takes to fully fund Sleepy Hollow: for example, last year over $585,900 was needed in additional funding for the 2021-2022 school year. To support this budget, you are asked to make one donation - the ONE-Sleepy Hollow Ask - of at least $2,200 per student. This covers a significant portion of the funding gap the school needs to close in order to maintain the current level of education your child receives. 

WHY IS THERE A FUNDING GAP?

Orinda Union School District receives less state funding than most CA districts for several reasons. State allocation is determined through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The formula is structured such that high-need districts with high percentages of disadvantaged students and English Language Learners receive more funding per pupil. Due to the demographics of Orinda, OUSD receives less funding. Some surrounding districts with similar demographics receive more public funding because they qualify as a Basic Aid District. This means that the revenue from their local property taxes exceeds what they would receive from their LCFF allocation. These districts are able to use this funding locally. Orinda does not qualify as a Basic Aid District.  As a result of little LCFF funding and no Basic Aid status, OUSD has a funding gap between state resources and the actual amount of money it takes to provide an excellent education. 

WHAT IS THE FUNDING GAP?

In the 2021-22 academic year, the funding gap was approximately $3,100 per student. This figure varies slightly year over year, but remains significant. Last year, OUSD relied on local revenue for a substantial 23% of its annual budget, which equated to over $7.7m. The 23% funding gap is bridged by the following: parent and community donations, local parcel tax, local special education funding and miscellaneous sources like facility rentals.

WHY AM I NOT BEING ASKED TO DONATE ~$3,100 PER CHILD TO COVER THE GAP?  

The funding gap is closed through two major sources: parent donations and the local parcel tax. Annual parent donations are a critical piece of the fundraising, and we aim to equitably share the funding burden in our community. Additional fundraising activity continues throughout the year with recognition that many families may not be able to give at a level of this significance. We hope that if you are unable to commit to donating as part of the ONE ASK donation campaign, that you will be able to support fundraising activity throughout the year through volunteering or participation. 

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