The Sunnyvale Sun

News

Auto dealers' generosity means money for schools

Pilot program pitched as way to put district among nation's best

By JASON GOLDMAN-HALL

If you drive around Sunnyvale, you may see two things on the bumpers of many cars: stickers in support of a local school, and license plate holders indicating the driver bought the car in Sunnyvale. About a third of the people who buy cars from Sunnyvale dealers have a student in a Sunnyvale school, estimates Sunnyvale Toyota owner Adam Simms.

Simms is one of 11 dealership owners on Auto Row who are participating in a new partnership with local schools,

The dealers sell almost 1,500 vehicles each month. Through a joint venture with the Sunnyvale School District Education Foundation, those sales could translate into thousands of dollars for local schools.

Earlier this year, the foundation and the auto dealers kicked off the "Support Our Schools," program. All dealers now have forms on their lots that can be used to give $100 from every car sale directly to the foundation. That money is then used to fund school programs. There is no additional cost to the customer.

"We hope people will do it because they want to give funds to Sunnyvale

schools, but it will also get people who live in Sunnyvale to shop here in Sunnyvale," said Geoff Ainscow, the foundation president.

Ainscow described the program as a "win-win" for the schools and car dealers. He said the program came out of a meeting with Simms, a member of the Sunnyvale Auto Dealers Association Advisory Committee.

"We're pleased to be part of a program to help support the Sunnyvale school system," Simms said. "And, as good retailers, we want everyone to shop where they live, because the money they spend goes back into the community."

When customers fill out dealership fliers, they can specify what school they want to receive the funds, and even specify what area they want their contribution spent on. Ainscow said the foundation will write checks to any school people choose, even outside Sunnyvale--but he hopes the majority of funds will help local schools.

The pilot program will conclude June 30, but Ainscow and Simms both said they hope this pilot program will become an ongoing collaboration.

Some of the money will be put toward the foundation's 3-year-old Library Project that seeks to hire teaching librarians for each school.

By 2010, the foundation wants to have 10 teaching librarians--people with teaching credentials and advanced degrees in library technology--in Sunnyvale schools, to help teachers utilize the Internet to plan lessons and develop programs for math and science classes.

"The information on the web these days for education is amazing; the problem is that we don't have people in the schools who can make it work, and that's what teaching librarians are for," Ainscow said.

Sunnyvale's first and only teaching librarian joined Lakewood Elementary School in September of 2004. Ainscow said it costs almost $100,000 to fund one teaching librarian for one year, including salary and support staff. He believes having the funds to add teaching librarians will "transform the Sunnyvale school system," making it one of the best in the country.