The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley is excited to join the Eastside Education Initiative.
All students deserve access to high-quality education, a clear pathway to college, and a meaningful career. However, this is not a reality for students at East San Jose schools.
Eastside Union High School District schools receive $14,000 per student of public funding to educate and nurture individuals. Comparatively, districts in more well-resourced areas locally benefit from greater yields of revenue through higher property taxes (e.g., Mountain View, Los Altos) in addition to private foundation funding rates between $27,000 per student.
This disparity in funding makes it difficult for East San José schools to offer more than rudimentary academic programs. And the result of this disproportionate funding in East San José is lower A-G completion rates, dropping college persistence, and ultimately, less livable wages for East San José graduates.
The Eastside Education Initiative’s (EEI) mission is twofold: (1) to advocate for equal funding for East San Jose schools and (2) to provide supplemental educational services to promote a college and career readiness culture.
EEI will focus on four key ‘pillars’ of success: Student, Family, and Community Engagement, Core Subject Proficiency, College and Career Readiness, and Advocacy. The pillars will shape the program investment and prioritize areas based on contributions to student achievement. With the support of Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), the EEI will (1) engage students and families in a participatory process to amplify parent and student voices, (2) improve core subject proficiency of students, and increase Latinx graduates who pass A-G coursework, (3) provide College and career-aligned programming to increase enrollment and persistence in two-year colleges and four-year universities, and (4) advocate for equitable funding for East San José schools to be on par or above the highest per-pupil allocation in Santa Clara County.
“The local investments I’ve secured this year endeavor to educate and empower our next generation. Through an equity lens, this funding will provide students and families across our region equitable access to college and career readiness.” – Senator Dave Cortese
This collective impact coalition is led by experienced educational organizations, each represented by their CEOs: President Ed Alvarez from the Latino Education Advancement Foundation, President & CEO Dr. Lisa Andrew from the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, President & CEO Ron Gonzales from the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, and County Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan.