Communities across the nation are coming to the realization that they must find alternative funding vehicles to support public education if they wish to remain progressive and competitive. It is estimated that thousands of public school foundations have been established throughout the United States.

 If there is to be equality in America, we must have equality in education for all children, regardless of income or means. The Bethlehem Area Education Foundation  seeks to develop charitable support which will supplement the publicly funded school budget to achieve this equality of opportunity.

Most private secondary schools routinely and effectively seek charitable support. While private schools have long understood that tuition is not sufficient to cover all educational costs, public schools are now realizing that tax allotments — the public school equivalent of tuition — are not sufficient to fund the potentials of our public schools. The fact that the per capita student tuition expenditure in the private schools is three to four times greater than the per capita student expenditure in the public schools underscores the case for bringing philanthropy to the public schools. Although school leaders will continue to work for additional state funding for our schools, it is unlikely that state aid — geared to the “average” school and mandated at the minimum level — will ever fund our schools to achieve and maintain excellence.