About Mountain View Elementary School
Mountain View School is a public elementary school established in 1966 as part of the Goleta Union School District. With approximately 350 students in grades K-6, the school has a history of exemplary student performance and is regularly ranked as one of the highest achieving schools in Santa Barbara County. Outstanding test scores earned Mountain View a rating of #1 in Santa Barbara County in 2013, and it was awarded a “California Distinguished Schools” recognition that same year.
What is the MVS Foundation?
The Mountain View School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting public education at Mountain View School.
The Foundation is dedicated to raising funds from sources other than school families. With the support of neighbors, former parents, local business and grants from public and private foundations, we have completed the Multi-Purpose room project, helped with the creation of a STEAM lab, and purchased a new class set of MacBook Air laptops. See our project tab for more detailed information on current and past projects.
Another goal of the Foundation is to establish an endowment that will help fund the School’s needs into the future. The Foundation currently has an endowment of $10,750 for this purpose. All professional services and most costs relating to the organization, tax exemption, and ongoing operations of the Foundation have been donated, so that 99% of the funds we raise will be spent for the school and not for overhead.
We encourage Mountain View families to contact us with questions and suggestions.
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Why is the MVS Foundation Needed?
Don’t our tax dollars pay for MVS education?
Yes, in large part. California public education is funded primarily by State tax dollars. The breakdown of sources is shown here:
Total spending per pupil fluctuates over time, but even with recent increases in per pupil spending, California ranks almost 13% below the average level of spending in the rest of the nation. In addition, district direct costs are rising faster than state spending for many reasons but including a requirement that districts fund an increasing percent of pension contributions. In 2013, school districts were required to pay 8% of their teacher payrolls for pensions; by 2020, that contribution will rise to 19%. We can continue to expect the district budgets to remain tight.
The community members who support Mountain View School Foundation want to support and sustain the tradition of excellence at Mountain View School. The Board of Directors works with the principal and the district to identify needs that cannot be funded from the district budget and raises money to fill the gap. For example, our first project.enhanced the Multi-Purpose Room to become a more effective facility for student performances and educational assemblies with installation of lighting, a screen and other A/V equipment. Our second project encompassed the development of an innovative STEAM lab to support an exciting hands-on engineering, art, and science curriculum. Our third project involved purchasing of a new class set of MacBook Air laptops for the computer lab that are essential to our STEAM program. Future campaigns will help pay for additional programs for the students and/or facility improvements, depending on the budget circumstances and needs at the time, which cannot be satisfied from the district budget.