What We Fund

From Tk through Graduation, Your donations matter

WCEF's mission is to close the public education funding gap and provide comprehensive programs and wellness initiatives that help every student reach their full potential. Every donation - whether from the Annual Giving Campaign, Read-a-thon, TuTH contributions, or FORE! Education registrations - supports a well-rounded education. From elementary art, music and science lab, to middle school electives and high school college readiness, to smaller classes and wellness initiatives.

Your donations make a difference at every grade level, starting with Las Lomas High School. Without this support, programs that set our schools apart would be at risk, impacting students across all grades. WCEF volunteers are dedicated to preventing this.

Supporting TK-12 education ensures a great experience from the first day to graduation day. It starts with your gifts to WCEF.

For a detailed overview of what you make possible, view our Annual Giving Brochure here.

WCEF + YOU @ Las Lomas High SCHOOL (9th - 12th)

Your donation to WCEF ensures our Knights have support through the Wellness Center and the robust course selection
needed to remain competitive and graduate with confidence.

At Las Lomas our students benefit from a 7-period schedule, a rarity in CA. In fact, Las Lomas's course catalog and class size rivals, or exceeds, area private school offerings. Hear from students on what courses they have enjoyed and learned from them.

Here's a sample schedule for each of the four years at Las Lomas to help illustrate what education at the high school level looks like with (and without) your donations to WCEF.

HOW TO READ THE SAMPLE SCHEDULE:

9th grade: Students have an additional elective class period with multiple choices across all subjects, four world language options instead of one, and multiple career tech opportunities. In fact, students can take four years of classes in Foods and Medical Careers. Students can also choose from three different math pathways to meet where they are.
10th grade: Students can have two additional elective classes, including three different AP options for those seeking college readiness.
11th & 12th grade: By the time your child gets to their final two years, they will have two additional elective periods BEYOND what the state requires and more elective choice across all subjects. Students can choose to take four years in science, world language, AP/Honors courses in social sciences, and math. CA only requires one year of art, two years of science, and three years of math, for example. These additional classes are not funded by CA.

Electives = Classes students select to take. While the state requires a certain number of elective units to graduate (40-45), Las Lomas offers more than 20 classes in the visual and performing arts, the chance to take two world languages simultaneously, four years of math, history, science, etc. More electives mean more choice to explore areas of interest, smaller class sizes, and pathways that reach all students and their interests.
Career Pathways = A sequence of courses to prepare a student for a profession, technical college, military career, and/or certification. Culinary/foods, Medical Careers, Auto Engineering, and Construction are offered at Las Lomas.
AP and Honors Classes = College-level classes developed by the college board also knows as Advanced Placement as well as Honors. Students take college-level courses and may receive college credit before graduating high school. Some graduates have even entered their first year of college with enough units to qualify as a sophomore.

MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION:

👉 Classes at Las Lomas are driven by student interest. Additional funding through WCEF means your student is more likely to receive their first choice of classes resulting in a wide range of options, including four years of visual and performing arts, world languages, journalism, sports medicine, international cuisine/foods, forensic science, and more. To view the course catalog, visit www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/coursecatalog.

👉 14-16 additional classes across all subject areas. From art to music, science to math, English to social studies, electives like journalism and psychology, as well as four world language options (French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish—unheard of at public schools!).

👉 Every student must complete specific graduation requirements, but donations to WCEF give Las Lomas students opportunities to go beyond basic requirements in many choices across all subjects.

👉 For those looking at UC/CSU and selective private universities and colleges, your student can take Advanced Placement and Honors classes in all subjects: including world languages, advanced and rigorous math, sciences, English, and the arts rivaling, if not exceeding private schools.

👉 Las Lomas also offers career readiness through the Medical Careers pathway, a track for those interested in the healthcare industry. The pathway offers an introduction to various medical careers possible, like nursing, administration, forensics, and more.

👉 Every student has their own interests, and Las Lomas offers career tech pathways in foods, auto engineering, entertainment, construction, medical, and sports medicine.

WCEF + YOU @ Middle school (6th - 8th)

Donations to WCEF support every grade level to align with WCEF's mission to preserve and enhance education for all students. Here's how donations to WCEF preserve and enhance our Tice Creek and Walnut Creek Intermediate middle school students.

WCEF + You @ elementary Schools (tk-5th)

Your public elementary school would look very different without your contributions to WCEF. We’ve broken it down so you can easily understand the important impact your donation has for our youngest learners.

THE DISTRICTS & Schools WE SERVE:

WCEF and the WALNUT CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT

"We simply cannot offer the depth of education we do here without the support of WCEF volunteers and donors. Their generosity of time and funding makes the difference for all students."
– Marie Morgan, WCSD Superintendent

WCEF AND THE ACALANES UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

"Because of the support of education foundations (like WCEF), we can offer educational opportunities that exceed most private schools."
– John Nickerson, Ed. D. AUHSD Superintendent

Funding Guidelines

WCEF is a non-profit that operates independently of, but in partnership with, WCSD and AUHSD to raise additional funds to offer services, programs, and electives beyond that of a basic, state funded education from TK-12. WCEF's executive director and president/s meet with WCSD and AUHSD superintendents annually to identify and prioritize funding for the following academic year and ensure funds are directed towards programs that advance WCEF's mission. The WCEF Budget Committee meets annually to propose yearly fundraising goals (based on districts' needs) to the WCEF Board and determines the best way to equitably distribute funds to our partner districts. The WCEF Executive Committee may decline to fund those programs which do not meet these funding guidelines:

Funds are prioritized to support programs that support and/or advance WCEF's mission and are underfunded and/or at-risk of being canceled within the core curriculum and/or student health/welfare
Programs and services funded will support and/or advance the strategic plans and/or needs of WCSD and AUHSD
Programs and services funded by WCEF should impact every student served