FAQs
What is The Pinnacle Fund?
What is The Foundation for Palm Springs Unified School District?
Who serves on The Pinnacle Fund Board of Directors?
What cities does PSUSD serve?
Is The Pinnacle Fund part of PSUSD?
Is The Pinnacle Fund completely separate from the District?
What is the mission of The Pinnacle Fund?
Why is The Pinnacle Fund mission important?
How does The Pinnacle Fund serve this purpose?
Why has the focus been placed on arts and technology?
Aren’t these programs just extras? Can’t we just teach the basics?
Why can’t parents fund the needs of their own children in user fees, for example?
Why should I care about the drop-out rate?
What does The Pinnacle Fund do with the money I contribute?
How is the decision made on which grants to fund?
How can we know that these grants will result in educational excellence?
Why can’t taxes cover this?
Isn’t the District a top-heavy bloated bureaucracy always asking for more money?
I don’t have children in the District. Why should I contribute?
Can I be involved in other ways in addition to donating?
How can I donate?
Will my donation be tax-deductible?
What if I have additional questions?
What is The Pinnacle Fund?
The Pinnacle Fund is the name of The Foundation for Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD).
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What is The Foundation for Palm Springs Unified School District?
The Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization incorporated in 2007 and launched as The Pinnacle Fund in November, 2008.
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Who serves on The Pinnacle Fund Board of Directors?
The Board is an all-volunteer group of community leaders and education advocates from the cities served by PSUSD.
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What cities does PSUSD serve?
Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Thousand Palms.
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Is The Pinnacle Fund part of PSUSD?
No. Although the incorporation of The Pinnacle Fund was initiated by the school district, it operates independently from the District.
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Is The Pinnacle Fund completely separate from the District?
No. Although autonomous, The Pinnacle Fund supports the strategic vision of the PSUSD Superintendent and the District Governing Board to increase funding specifically in the areas of the arts and technology.
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What is the mission of The Pinnacle Fund?
To guarantee that our children are equipped with the 21st century skills that employers seek we must provide funding and create dynamic partnerships to ensure all students have experiences using current technology and develop the necessary creativity, and critical thinking skills that are fostered by the arts. Only then can we ensure that all students have the resources to reach their full potential.
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Why is The Pinnacle Fund mission important?
Children are our future! Our quality of life and the economic viability of our local communities depend greatly on the quality of our local schools.
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How does The Pinnacle Fund serve this purpose?
Our vision is: Community + Foundation = Educational Excellence
The Pinnacle fund seeks to be an impetus for quality education, a catalyst for involving the community in its public schools and a nexus for business, foundations, community organizations and the public-at-large to dynamically provide for the children of our communities the type of education that they need to survive and thrive.
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Why has the focus been placed on arts and technology?
Even in the best of economic times, schools are not funded sufficiently to provide universal access to the arts and technology. Current budget cuts have made the situation much worse. Schools literally are having trouble keeping their lights on and paying for enough teachers.
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Aren’t these programs just extras? Can’t we just teach the basics?
Research shows that the “extras” (such as music, for example) actually are the basics. They create students who can focus, communicate and apply information, work in teams and across disciplines. Students with a background in music, dance, theater and art demonstrate greater proficiency on academic assessments. Programs in the fine arts and technology have proven to lower the drop-out rate by engaging students in learning and then connecting them outside the classroom to the world of work. Digital literacy is a must-have skill to access information, create products, communicate complex thoughts, and make effective decisions. Knowing how to use computers and the Internet is now essential for getting a job in the 21st century global, information economy.
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Why can’t parents fund the needs of their own children in user fees, for example?
Public education is about equal access for each student to all learning opportunities. Seventy percent of the District’s students qualify for government-subsidized free or reduced-cost lunches. Public school districts are prohibited from charging fees to parents of students who quality for free/reduced meals.
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Why should I care about the drop-out rate?
The Coachella Valley has an economic stake in providing a trained, educated workforce to its businesses. Studies show that a student’s lifetime earnings rise proportionately in relation to the length of time spent in school. Yet nearly 30% of our high school students do not graduate (Data Quest/CDE Web site). Our community pays a high cost in health care, public services and through the judicial system if our schools do not adequately prepare students ready for college or work. Comprehensive education focused on learning that engages students now will return wealth to the community in knowledge and a deeper tax base in the future.
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What does The Pinnacle Fund do with the money I contribute?
We keep our overhead as low as possible. We have no paid executive director, no compensation for our volunteer Board, and only paid part-time office assistance in order to give the maximum back to the schools.
We have to date sponsored several programs:
- Since March 2009 over $66,000 has been given out in Classroom Grants to PSUSD teachers and administrators. This is designed to foster creativity and encourage teachers to actively enrich their students’ experience in the classroom.
- We have facilitated $75,000 of grants in technology to schools through the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and the Jeff Cook Charitable Trust.
- We have been a sponsor to PSUSD’s DigiCom Student and Teacher Film Festival, a District-wide project-based teaching method that is transforming how students learn and communicate in the classroom.
- In the arts we have created the “Get-on-the Bus” Initiative to fund District transportation to cultural venues and donated $2,600.
- We have presented $4,200 in technology prizes to District schools at our various events.
How is the decision made on which grants to fund?
Adhering to the strategic vision of the District and in consultation with expert District personnel in charge of the arts and technology, a committee of The Pinnacle Fund board members reviews all grant applications and makes determinations based on their potential impact on educational excellence.
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How can we know that these grants will result in educational excellence?
One of the obligations of the grantees in accepting a Pinnacle Fund grant is to follow up with a report evaluating how their grants affected educational excellence.
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Why can’t taxes cover this?
A child’s education should not be held hostage to politics, or bad economic times. We need sustainable sources of funding that can carry us through the economic cycles in Sacramento and Washington. A child cannot “time” his entry into school to only the prosperous years.
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Isn’t the District a top-heavy bloated bureaucracy always asking for more money?
No. The District takes very seriously its responsibility to manage its tax dollars efficiently. The State allows 21 administrative positions more than are currently employed by the PSUSD. All cuts have been made with a mind to minimize the negative effects on the students and on the local economy since the District is one of the largest employers in the Coachella Valley. Previous year budget cuts have long since cut out all the fat. Current cuts are into the “bone”.
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I don’t have children in the District. Why should I contribute?
Children are our future. Our quality of life and economic viability depend on good schools. Business needs qualified employees. New businesses looking to invest in our valley will evaluate our schools not only as a source of employees, but as educators of the children of their executives and employees. Quality schools can be a catalyst for quality growth.
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Can I be involved in other ways in addition to donating?
Yes! We’d like your ideas, your time, and your enthusiasm!
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How can I donate?
You may go to our Web site, www.pinnaclefund.org and follow the directions. You may donate by using a credit card or by downloading a form to send with your check to:
The Pinnacle Fund 980 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way,
Palm Springs, CA 92262.
Donate Now
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Will my donation be tax-deductible?
Yes. The Foundation for PSUSD is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.
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What if I have additional questions?
Call (760) 416-8455 or email us at info@pinnaclefund.org.
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