The Excellence in Education Foundation was established in 1986 in response to legal policies, like CA Prop 13, that were passed in the 1970s that significantly reduced funding for schools, including the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD). As TTUSD began to feel the crunch of reduced funding, a group of concerned citizens raised approximately $30,000, which was distributed to the district. Four years later, Excellence in Education invited local leaders to join the group and take over the existing foundation. The Skiing for Schools fundraising program was then launched by Squaw Valley, as it was called then.
Many education foundations in California were formed to save programs that districts were losing. However, the Excellence in Education Board of Directors took a different approach; they decided that they would respond to teacher-identified needs by awarding individual grants requests. They also created an endowment fund for long-term financial stability.
The foundation continued to grow, eventually adopting the Dining for Schools and Golfing for Schools fundraising programs. However, the Endowment House, conceived by board member and architect Scott Ryan, was the foundation’s most successful single fundraising effort. Over 220 contributors donated to create the house, a three-year project that culminated with its sale in 1999, and a realized gain of more than $450,000, bringing the endowment to $1.2 million. The endowment fund continues to grow, and the current spending policy allows the board to spend up to 3.25% of the three-year trailing average investment income balance.
Our impact continues to serve TTUSD teachers and schools. In 2000 the Linda Brown and Fellows Award was created to recognize teachers who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to teaching and dedication to innovation. The Star award recognizes staff and administration at TTUSD who go above and beyond to provide truly outstanding support.
In 2011, the foundation launched the Tahoe Truckee Reads Community Literacy Campaign to improve third-grade literacy in the North Tahoe region. We were awarded the 2012 All-America City Award by the National Civic League and National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading based on our ambitious plan to ensure that more children are reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
In 2016, Excellence in Education partnered with TTUSD for a five-year financial partnership to fund a 1-to-1 Chromebook computer roll-out for students in fifth to twelfth grades. This effort continued in 2020 with a campaign to raise $80,000 to provide additional Chromebooks to support students in distance learning (a result of COVID-19 restrictions).
Today, we continue to identify district and classroom reads through communication, grant cycles, and more. Our goal is simple — to invest in our future generations.