I live in California. The state with highest tax rate in the country. For whatever historic reasons our street is not maintained by the city, nor by the county

I live in California. The state with highest tax rate in the country. For whatever historic reasons our street is not maintained by the city, nor by the county (we are in Marin County). Obviously not by the State of California. Every 10 years neighbors get together and we hire a contractor to patch the holes in the street and coat with tar. We have no public lights, each house installs a light in front on the entrance. Our public high school is severely underfunded. There is side system funded by parents/PTA to maintain projetcs, art classes, etc.: https://www.tamvalleypta.com/ https://www.tamvalleypta.com/ Kiddo (https://kiddo.org/ https://kiddo.org/) raise $3M every year to fund just about everything: What Kiddo! Funds At every elementary school, Kiddo! funding pays for many people and programs. Kiddo! provides funding for the salaries for all Art teachers, Music teachers, Chorus teachers, Orchestra and Band teachers, and P.E. teachers; plus salaries for almost every Classroom aide, and every Library aide in our District. Kiddo! also funds Dance programs in every grade, Poetry and/or Drama instruction in every grade, and multiple Innovative Teacher Grants. At MVMS, Kiddo! funding also pays for many programs and teachers: Kiddo! funds 100% of the salaries for all Art teachers, Instrumental Music teachers, and Vocal Music teachers, plus Music Technology, and our MVMS Library Aide Kiddo! funds 100% of the Specialist Contracts to teach Dance in all grades, and Poetry in 6th grade. Kiddo! funds the Greek Mythology workshops for all of 6th grade, Shakespeare program and performances for all 7th grade classrooms, Word for Word literary drama program for all 8th grade classes, a Yoga unit for all grades during P.E., an all-school Robotics Club, and several innovative teacher grants. Kiddo! also provides funding for the all-school Spring Cabaret for all grades. Kiddo! also provides funding for technology, including computers and software for classrooms, plus the salaries of our district-wide Instructional Tech Coach and some of the tech support staff. Read more about the District Tech Plan here. Arts Education in Mill Valley Public Schools Because of Kiddo!, the Mill Valley School District is able to provide our students with an unparalleled, top-notch education that values the arts as much as any other content area. This is integral to our Strategic Plan, and it is a point of pride for our District that students in all six of our schools participate in a diverse array of enriching experiences that deepen and expand their learning every year, from transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade. How Kiddo! Helps Elementary and Middle School Teachers Support for Core Curriculum. The arts and P.E. are not "extras." They are part of the core curriculum in California. Kiddo! funds pay for the art, music and elementary P.E. teachers, and provide dance, drama and poetry specialists. Specialized Instruction. In districts that can't afford dedicated staff for art or P.E., classroom teachers often teach these subjects, squeezing them in when they can. Mill Valley students receive regularly scheduled art, music, drama, dance, poetry and P.E. from professionals trained in these subjects. Support for Differentiated Learning. Because Kiddo! funds classroom aides, teachers have more prep time and more time to dedicate to students. They can provide more attention to students who need it and more challenges for students who are excelling. Teaching Grants. Kiddo! also funds grants so classroom teachers can try new and innovative programs. This year Kiddo! has funded over $50,000 in teaching grants across the District. Teaching Teachers. – Kiddo! provides the funding for our district-wide Instructional Technology Coach whose primary focus is to assist classroom teachers to successfully integrate instructional strategies using multiple technologies. Funding for Other Needs. Kiddo! fills holes in other critical areas such as supporting professional development and funding most of our tech support team. Each year, with the help of parent volunteers from every school, Kiddo! raises over $3 million in funds for our District, to help us deliver a complete education to Mill Valley’s public elementary and middle school students. Learn more about volunteering, events, and other ways to get involved at http://kiddo.org/ http://kiddo.org/