February 9, 2011; Source: KPBS | In the wake of a failed tax initiative, which would have offset budget shortfalls in the San Diego schools, the district is moving to establish a foundation to which local citizens could voluntarily contribute. The money raised is slated to go to a district wide classroom supply fund and will be distributed evenly. This reduces the inequities that result when schools are forced to fundraise individually. But the trend toward replacing public tax funded responsibilities with voluntary charitable donations is disturbing.—Ruth McCambridge
About The Author
Ruth is the founder and Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.