Ainsworth Foundation

Our school is facing a challenge: Two third-fourth grade blended classes are over-crowded (containing 34 and 28 students, respectively).  The blended nature of these classes make their size more challenging.

With advice from the Site Council, Principal Cindy Roby has identified and recommended an immediate stop-gap measure to improve the situation for these students: Add two hours to the educational assistant’s schedule for those classes.  The educational assistant would then spend 2.5 hours in each of those two classes.  While we recognize that this solution is not a permanent fix, Ms. Roby is committed to seek and plan for better solutions for next year and the long term.

The increase in the educational assistant’s hours from four to six requires an additional $11,000 from our Foundation to support the Ainsworth school budget — beyond what our Foundation already committed for the current school year (based on last year’s fundraising efforts).  The limited on-hand capital at the Foundation has been earmarked to support fundraising operations (like the 2010 Red Ball) for the current year.

Notwithstanding these facts, extraordinary times call for unusual measures.  So our Foundation has committed the $11,000 necessary to increase the educational assistant’s time, and the effect will be immediate.  Beginning today, the educational assistant will be working six hours per day with increased time in those two classrooms.

To cover this additional and important cost, the Foundation is conducting a fundraising drive for this specific action and seeking donations from parents.

From today, Monday, October 12^th to Friday, October 23^rd, all donations up to $11,000 will be applied directly to funding the increase in the educational assistant’s schedule.  You may donate by

• a check left in the Foundation box (pledge envelopes are in the box)
• mailing your donation to The Ainsworth Foundation

PMB 278

6327 Capitol Highway, Suite C

Portland, OR 97239

• PayPal at www.ainsworthfoundation.org. (Note: Donations from your bank account are not subject to the 2% fee that credit card transactions impose).

All donations are charitable contributions and tax deductible.

Any funds over and above $11,000 will be applied to Foundation fundraising for the next year and applied to long term solutions for our community.

Thank you in advance for stepping up and supporting Ainsworth in funding this stop-gap solution!