What You Told Us — and What We’re Doing About It

Published in the March 2026 issue of the Mountain Network News.

This fall, 37 families took the time to complete LPEF’s community survey about our annual Keep Excellent Education Programs (KEEP) campaign. Responses were well distributed from kinder through middle school. The feedback was candid, thoughtful, and incredibly helpful.

When families were asked which priorities should be protected even in lean years, two stood far above the rest: arts and music & small class sizes. Arts education cultivates creative problem-solving, judgment, comfort with ambiguity, and other critical skills that our children will need in an AI-infused world, while keeping learning joyful and meaningful. Those benefits are maximized when students get attention and support, which is why families and teachers — after several years of experience with combo classes at Loma — have expressed a strong preference for minimizing combo classes and keeping class sizes small at both Loma and C.T. English.

About 70% of respondents correctly identified KEEP as a fundraiser that supports programs the district can’t afford through government funding. That shared understanding is encouraging. At the same time, many families asked for more transparency about how priorities are set and what would actually be lost without it. In response, LPEF publishes articles in MNN and the LPEF blog that aim to answer these questions openly and clearly. We’ll continue building this library of information at LPEF.org/blog.

One clear message from the survey was that families want a stronger voice in how decisions are made. This year, we’re inviting the community to help the LPEF Board prioritize funding for the 2026–27 school year. We’ll share clear context about which programs or positions are potentially on the chopping block, what those programs mean for students, and what tradeoffs exist when funding is limited. Then, we’ll ask families to vote on what matters most. This input will directly inform how the LPEF Board approaches funding decisions for the coming year.

Families also made it clear that broad participation in the KEEP campaign matters more than a few large donations. While quite a few respondents identified full participation as the ideal, more than 80% believe that strong participation — involving at least three-quarters of all families — is essential to the health of the school community. This year, our messaging and class incentives will put participation first — not donation size. This is about inclusivity, momentum, and showing students that their whole class showed up together.

One survey question captured what’s at stake: If LPEF stopped raising funds, how would your family feel about larger class sizes and the loss of programs like library, art, and music? Over 90% of respondents said it would matter a great deal. Families understand what’s at risk, and they also want a more direct role in protecting what makes Loma and C.T. English special.

Your feedback is already shaping how LPEF works, how we communicate, and how we make decisions. Thank you sharing our passion for keeping our schools excellent. Review the full survey results and feel free to drop us a line anytime at president@lpef.org.