How KEEP Funding Decisions Really Happen

Published in the October 2025 issue of the Mountain Network News.

Ever curious about how we decide what programs LPEF actually funds? Or what happens when our KEEP campaign falls short? Here's the real story of how it unfolded last year.

It Starts with Teachers' Wish Lists

Every spring, Superintendent Kevin Grier asks teachers at both Loma Prieta Elementary and C.T. English Middle School a simple question: what do you need most for next year? Once teachers give their wish lists, he asks them to prioritize.

Then, Dr. Grier goes through any programs LPEF has funded before to see if the district can now cover them with other money. He says, “My goal has been to make LPEF be the ‘nice to haves’ above what we should (Parcel Tax) and must have (General Fund). We also have other items that fit under specific grants for the coming year.”

In March, Dr. Grier brought a list of priorities to the LPEF board: Developmental PE at Loma and K-8 art were top priorities so tier 1 was set at $234,050 – the cost of salary and benefits for two full-time teachers. Tier 2 was a 12th teacher at Loma, bringing the total need to $349,000. The table shows the LPEF funding priorities next to the items that were funded by parcel taxes.

2025-26 Funding Priorities

At the same time, a few programs shifted because of staffing realities:

• Spanish was trimmed back to just 8th grade when our teacher realized that teaching “120%” wasn’t sustainable.

• Science at Loma changed too—our pull-out science teacher wanted to go back to being a regular classroom teacher, though the science lab is still there for other teachers to use.

• Math intervention at CT faced scheduling challenges as a pull-out program, so the administration decided to experiment with weaving it into regular math class instead. We’re all keeping a close eye on how it goes this year.

  
  

The LPEF board raised one more issue: social-emotional support. Student behavior and mental health have been growing concerns, so we asked whether counseling or psychology services could be expanded. Kevin explained that our current counselor is only on campus part-time, and while she can’t add more hours, the district could explore bringing in a part-time psychologist to supplement that work. We agreed to revisit in the fall of 2025.

The final step was bringing the priorities to the LPJUSD school board. There was some concern about shifting how we approached math intervention at both Loma & CT, but they ultimately approved these priorities.

The KEEP Campaign Gets to Work

With priorities set, LPEF launched KEEP—basically our community's annual fundraising push for all these programs.

Families stepped up big time, contributing nearly $80,000 during the KEEP campaign. That brought the annual LPEF total, including sponsorships and Gala profits, to about $280,000. That covered everything in tier 1, but not tier 2. And that gap? It almost had real consequences.

At one point, Loma was staring down 32 kids crammed into one 5th grade classroom. Sure, it's legal, but nobody wants that for their kid. Fortunately, two more students enrolled over the summer, which gave the district the push it needed to hire that second 5th grade teacher. Instead of 32 in one room, we got two classes of 17—so much better. The school found a way to cover the extra cost, but it was touch and go.

If those tier 2 funds hadn't been used for an extra teacher, they would have gone into the LPEF reserves. With reserves, LPEF has the flexibility to respond to things that come up mid-year. LPEF board members are always listening when parents raise concerns—whether it's about school lunches, science camp, or whatever else might be affecting our kids. Having that funding cushion means we can actually do something about it when issues arise.

Why This Matters Every Year

Here's the reality: KEEP isn't a one-and-done fundraiser. Every single year, we're back at it if we want art, Loma PE, music, library, reasonable class sizes, etc.

While being small is one of the things that makes our mountain schools special and desirable, it also means we don't have the same financial advantages as bigger districts with more houses and businesses paying property taxes. Other schools that feed into Los Gatos High have more money and can spread costs across more students. If we want our kids walking into high school feeling just as prepared and confident, it's up to us to level that playing field.

So next time you hear about KEEP, remember: the district isn't asking for "nice-to-haves." These are the programs that help our kids figure out who they are and give them what they need to succeed when they leave our little mountain schools behind.