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When one of my former adult ESL students told me her daughter was attending Belle Haven Elementary School, my heart sank. I knew that Belle Haven is part of the Ravenswood City School District and based on what I thought I knew about the district–As an educator, I’ve always been curious about the district given its unique challenges–I assumed that the likelihood of this little girl succeeding academically was about as likely as my getting a Pulitzer for writing about inspiring people. But when I went online to learn more about the district, I discovered something extraordinary: it receives almost 20 percent of its budget–about $10 million for the 2024-2025 school year–from the local non-profit Ravenswood Education Foundation (REF). Clearly Silicon Valley movers and shakers had gotten behind a school district that I had dismissed as a lost cause. This story is about the successful public/private partnership between the Ravenswood City School District and REF, the partnership’s impact on Ravenswood students, and the two visionary leaders spearheading the effort. If you’re curious about how this little girl fared, but aren’t that interested in the partnership, just jump to the postscript at the end of the story!
If it weren’t for the Ravenswood Education Foundation (REF), students at the Ravenswood City School District’s three elementary schools wouldn’t have weekly music, art, and PE classes. The district wouldn’t have the resources to support five literacy intervention teachers, three literacy coaches and three STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) coaches. There would be no middle school maker-space, no award-winning middle school robotics team, and no middle school athletic director. Sixth graders wouldn’t participate in Outdoor Ed, seventh graders wouldn’t go camping in Yosemite, and eighth graders wouldn’t spend four days in Washington DC. […]
Redwood City approves new design standards for residential and mixed-use developmentNovember 1, 2026 9:37 am
