A community united in providing private resources to ensure an exceptional education for all CISD students, now and for future generations.
Vision:
Mission:
To build financial support from our community and corporate partners to ensure excellence in education for all students in CISD.
Exceptional Teachers. Extraordinary Students.
To accomplish our mission, we supplement funds for teachers and other educators whose positions the state of Texas does not require but our community considers necessary for a superior education. CEF is the only group that our school district allows to fund teachers and staff at our school campuses.
Every donor matters. Every dollar counts.
Please click on one of the links below to make your tax-deductible donation to the foundation.
We accept VISA, MasterCard and Discover credit cards as well as eCheck bank transfers for your convenience.
One-Time Donations
Make a one-time gift to fund vital teachers and staff positions at CISD.
For every $50,000 we raise, we fund another teacher.
For every $50,000 we raise, we fund another teacher.
Don’t forget to see if your company offers a matching gift program.
CEF’s Tax ID # is 75-2638646.
Monthly Installments
Consider making a bigger impact with easy-to-budget, recurring monthly payments.
We believe a great education begins and ends with great teachers, which is why Carroll Education Foundation is committed to supporting teachers.
By funding Carroll ISD teachers, we can have a tangible, immediate impact on the education our students receive. More teachers mean more individualized instruction, more inspiring electives and a more diverse curriculum for every student in our district.
Why is there a need to fund teachers?
Communities are measured by their school; schools are measured by student achievement. As the foundation of student success begins with effective instruction, it’s essential that the district attract and retain the best educators possible to inspire our students and help them succeed.
However, there is limited or no funding for teacher, educator and staff positions and programs not deemed “essential” by the state. It is these very positions that enrich each student’s experience and success – in academics, extracurricular activities, sports and more.
Here are some representative positions that are considered “non-essential”:
- Librarians
- Nurses
- Gifted & Talented Teachers
- Campus Tech Coordinators
- Counselors
- Special Teachers (Art, Music, PE)
- Elective Teachers
- Foreign Languages
- Learning Labs
- AP and Pre-AP Classes
- Classes in Technology, Journalism, Debate, Statistics, Calculus, Biology II, Chemistry II, Creative Writing, Fine Arts
- Band, Choir, Orchestra and Drama Programs
- All Sports Programs
What’s standing in the way?
In a word, funding.
Beginning in 2002, Carroll ISD became a Chapter 41 (wealthy) school district. In the state of Texas, wealthy school districts are required to send a portion of locally generated funds from the district to the state’s general fund and other less-wealthy districts.
We anticipate that the state will recapture approximately $29 million in revenue this school year alone. That is 24% of your local tax dollars that will never make it to your child’s classroom and this amount is only growing over time.
This leaves a substantial funding gap that jeopardizes critical teacher and educator positions that enable targeted instruction in core subjects and advanced course and elective offerings, as well as intervention resources to keep students on track.
You can help TODAY.
The foundation was created 25 years ago to protect the tradition of excellence in Carroll ISD schools, despite budget shortfalls. Your donation to the foundation ensures a higher quality of teaching and learning at every school and for every child in Carroll ISD. Every $50,000 we raise will fund one teacher.
Please join our effort today. Every Donor Matters. Every Dollar Counts.
To view our most recent IRS-990, please click the button below.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Carroll Education Foundation?
Founded in 1996, the Carroll Education Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation that provides financial resources to ensure excellence within the Carroll Independent School District.
As the primary fundraising arm for Carroll ISD, the foundation helps bridge the gap between state funding and what it costs to deliver on the district’s promise of excellence in education.
In 2018, the foundation refined its vision and mission to focus on funding teachers, ensuring the district has the resources to support teacher and educator critical positions that inspire learning, enrich the student educational experience, foster academic excellence and elevate student success.
Is CEF involved in Carroll ISD decision-making or determining District policies?
No, CEF is not involved in policy or decision-making of Carroll ISD or the CISD School Board. CEF’s mission is to fund teachers who are not fully funded by the State of Texas. These educators are vital to maintain the enrichment choices that provide excellence in education for our students.
How does the Teacher Fund work?
The Teacher Fund supports and highlights teachers, educators and functions with broad parental, student and community appeal from across all 11 campuses. In particular, we focus on positions that are not required or supported by the State of Texas, yet are critical to providing a superior education to our students. We fund a teacher for every $50,000 that we raise during the year. To learn more about the Teacher Fund, please click here.
How are the CEF Funded Teachers selected?
The Districts collaborates with CEF on enrichment choices to ensure that educators who are selected are not required or fully funded by the State of Texas. This collaboration includes input from Principals and CEF. For a full list of educators who are not fully funded by the State of Texas, please click here.
Was the CEF Funded Teacher’s job in jeopardy?
While the positions being partially funded by CEF are not currently in jeopardy nor would they have been eliminated if CEF funding did not happen, CISD does adopt an operating budget that includes a deficit. This means any and all income CISD can receive to help fund these positions and close the gap on the funding shortage, is helpful and prevents positions from being at risk. The CEF donation is critical to ensuring we can maintain these programs and retain excellent teachers.
If CEF did not fund those teachers, would their positions have been eliminated?
As mentioned above, no, but program and position cuts have been a reality for CISD in the past. Several times in the last 20+ years, Carroll ISD has been in a position to have to cut positions that are not required by the state. In the past this has included CISD’s elementary and intermediate Spanish teachers, custodians/maintenance staff, paraprofessional office staff and others – CISD has had to cut positions and increase class sizes in the past, too. At one point CISD had such a deficit it had to reduce art/music at the elementary schools to half-time positions. Thankfully CISD has been able to reinstate those to full time positions. So, although these jobs are not currently in jeopardy, should the deficit grow and supplemental income not be available, the district may be in a position to reduce staffing.
Does CEF have an endowment?
CEF has an investment account, a reserve, that was created by the original board as a source of rainy day funds. In the last three years, CEF has been drawing down from that account to lean into the District and provide more value. Annually, CEF re-evaluates a responsible amount of funds to maintain CEF’s ability to preserve donation levels should we be in an unfavorable environment.
CEF announces donations each year to CISD. Where are they on tax returns?
In 2018, CEF transformed its focus to The Teacher Fund and adjusted its tax reporting year to better align with the school year (The new fiscal year (FY) runs from July to June). CEF uses a cash basis accounting method and must report donations in the FY in which they are completed.
The tax return for FY 2018 only includes Jan – June 2018, due to realignment. Our donation during that school year occurred in the Fall (teacher grants) and appears on the FY 2017 return.
Under The Teacher Fund, CEF’s donations to CISD occurred in
- July 2019 – $415,000 (reported in FY 2020)
- June 2020 – $550,000 (reported in FY 2020)
- June 2021 – $650,000 (reported in FY 2021)
- June 2022 – $650,000 (reported in FY 2022)
Scholarship awards from CEF are paid directly to colleges during the summer, varying according to each college’s process, so those awards may appear in different fiscal years even though they were paid during the same summer.
Please click here to view our last 10 years.
Why do we need the Carroll Education Foundation?
In 2021-22, Niche ranked Carroll ISD as the 2nd best school district in the State, and CISD ranked in the top 1% of school districts in the nation. However, the ever-increasing state tax dollar recapture program (known as “Robin Hood” or Chapter 49 of the Texas Education Code) has put substantial budgetary pressures on the District. 34.6 percent of our property tax revenues are directed to the state’s general fund and other less-wealthy Districts, leaving us with a significant funding gap to fill every year.
Since 2018, CEF has donated $2,650,000 to fund CISD teachers and to provide scholarships for graduating seniors and alumni. Unwilling to compromise the best-in-class education we’ve always provided, the foundation was created to ensure an exceptional education for all CISD students, now and for future generations. Specifically, the foundation is focused on funding teachers, which guarantees more personal attention, more advanced courses, and more electives for every student in CISD.
What is Robin Hood and why does it matter?
Currently, 34.6 percent of the annual budget is recaptured by the state of Texas to support the state’s general fund and other less-wealthy districts. In the 2202-23 school year, this recapture will total approximately $33.6 Million. Since the 2001-02 school year, the total recapture has exceeded $370 million! For more information about Robin Hood payments, please visit carrollbudget.com.
Where do those original budget dollars go?
Our community expects programs and services, CISD is only able to deliver if it has additional income helping to close that funding gap.
CISD has required curricular positions that must be funded. CISD has other locally decided positions (like electives and the arts) that may not be possible without the support of the community and additional donations/funding. CEF plays a key role in helping CISD manage and maintain the excellence our community has come to expect.
How does the CEF’s fundraising focus differ from that of the PTO’s?
We describe our focus areas as “staff” vs. “stuff.” The foundation is focused on raising money for the District to fund teachers, educators, and other key staff. We complement the outstanding work done by the PTOs, which raise money for materials, equipment, and activities at each campus.
Why is my support important?
Stronger schools mean a stronger community. The quality of schools is a critical factor in neighborhood choice for homebuyers and business owners. The success of our schools directly impacts property tax values and translates into strong economic vitality of the community and quality of life for residents and businesses.
Why does CEF still need to raise money for teachers?
School funding will be facing even more challenging times in the future. The Texas school finance recapture system (Robin Hood) continues to put pressure on our District, with more than $30 million sent from CISD to the State each year. This annual stress, coupled with diminished state sales tax revenue, makes it more important than ever to help fund positions that we know are necessary to sustain the high-quality education that our children deserve.
Where does my money go?
CEF has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the District. CEF’s MOU with the Carroll ISD states that the District will administer grants, gifts, and donations in accordance with the Foundation’s requests and will provide an accounting to the Foundation evidencing the status of all such grants, gifts, and donations. Our donation to Carroll ISD goes into an account set up specifically for CEF. The funds in this account directly offset the salary payment for specific CEF Funded Teachers. The foundation is the only organization that provides support to the District to fund positions; PTOs and booster clubs provide material support to campuses, and the District’s school bond program covers capital improvements to the campuses. A detailed accounting of the District’s allocation of CEF funding can be requested by sending CISD an open records request. For more information on the District’s budget, please click here.
How much has CEF raised and distributed to CISD over the last five years?
The total distributed from our fundraising efforts is$2,310,000 from 2015-2020. The total distributed from our fundraising efforts is $1,999,215 from 2015-2021. The total donated to Carroll ISD from 2015-2022 is just over $4.3 Million.
Is CEF fully transparent about its finances?
Yes. In fact, CEF was recently named to the Platinum level by GuideStar, the national database of charities in the USA. Learn more about that transparency, click here. And you can see our financials here.
We are also dedicated to transparency organizationally, as privacy considerations allow. By expanding our communication program this year – adding media relations for news announcements, bolstering our FAQs here on the website, posting our newsletters on a new News & Info page on our website as well as emailing to all in the District, among other efforts – we hope to engage more of our community and educate our donors, supporters, friends, and neighbors about how CEF is helping make education in our District the best it can be. We are redoubling efforts to respond quickly and clearly to questions, too.
What are the other ways I can get involved in the CEF?
We welcome your involvement in the foundation’s mission of funding teachers in a variety of ways: donating to the Teacher Fund annual campaign; volunteering for one of our special events or delivering yard signs; attending our annual Culinary Celebration event, or serving as a community advocate or ambassador for our District.
Click Here to download/print all FAQs.
We are proud to announce our 2022 Candid / Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency!
