Letter of Support School Supply Initiative and Dental Kit Initiative

To Whom It May Concern, We are writing to convey our strong support for the K to College School Supply Initiative (SSI) and Dental Kit Initiative (DKI) programs, a proven solution to close the material resource gap facing Californias students. During our ongoing economic recovery and budget crisis, school districts across the state continue to face serious challenges. Californias economic climate also significantly impacts families as reflected in the record enrollment in the Free or Reduced Price Meal program (FRPM), which has a 185% of poverty income ceiling. With school districts and a record number of families facing serious financial constraints, it is increasingly difficult to equip low-income students with the basic yet crucial instructional materials they need to succeed. While some teachers, local community groups and others do what they can, the result is too often a widespread material resource gap that stymies California students confidence and academic potential. Combined with the indefinite suspension of the Childrens Dental Disease Prevention Program, this material resource gap also exacerbates the oral health crisis afflicting students throughout California, one of the leading causes of student absences every year. The SSI and DKI close this material resource gap by providing low-income students with $65-70 worth of school supplies and a dental kit at no cost to the student or school districts. K to Colleges business model includes leveraging market power for the public benefit, streamlined logistics and favorable public and private partnerships at the local and state level, enabling them to pay for a students participation in both programs for only $22. Since 2010, the SSI and DKI have distributed kits collectively worth approximately $14,000,000 to more than 200,000 students in 55 California school districts. Now more than ever it is important that the public education community collaborate to support efficient solutions that will help us sustain the highest level of education for our students. Although there are several steps needed to elevate California public education to the heights it once achieved, the SSI and DKI provide a key component - essential instructional materials to the students who need them most.

Please join us in supporting K to Colleges efforts in our community.

Tom Torlakson State Superintendent Of Public Instruction Sheila Jordan Alameda County Office of Education 90,820 FRPM Students Kirsten Vital Alameda Unified School District 3,780 FRPM Students Marc Liebman Berryessa Union School District 3,056 FRPM Students Joseph A. Ovick, Ed.D Contra Costa County Office of Education 59,210 FRPM Students Marla Stephenson Albany Unified School District 725 FRPM Students Larry Enos Bolinas-Stinson Union SD & Lagunitas SD 489 FRPM Students

Dean E. Vogel President CA Teachers Association Mary Jane Burke Marin County Office of Education 6,994 FRPM Students Jos Manzo Alum Rock Union Elementary School District 10,705 FRPM Students Merrill M. Grant, Ed. D Brentwood Union School District 2,522 FRPM Students Richard Carranza San Francisco Unified School District 34,026 FRPM Students Donald Gill, Ed.D. Antioch Unified School District 10,954 FRPM Students Maggie MacIsaac Burlingame School District 367 FRPM Students

Andrew P. Soderstrom President CA Dental Association Anne Campbell San Mateo County Office of Education 32,812 FRPM Students Toni Presta Bayshore Elementary SD & Brisbane SD 527 FRPM Students Ken Jacopetti Byron Union School District 440 FRPM Students Charles Weis Santa Clara County Office of Education 99,469 FRPM Students Dr. Emerita Orta-Camilleri Belmont-Redwood Shores School District 215 FRPM Students Robert Gaskill Cabrillo Unified School District 1,598 FRPM Students

Carol Kocivar President California State PTA Jay Speck Solano County Office of Education 28,428 FRPM Students William Huyett Berkeley Unified School District 4,131 FRPM Students Deborah Blow, Ed. D Cambrian School District 659 FRPM Students

Dr. Eric Andrew Campbell Union School District 3,359 FRPM Students

Rhonda E. Farber, Ph.D. Campbell Union High School District 1,751 FRPM Students

Jim Negri Castro Valley Unified School District 2,031 FRPM Students

Robert A. Haley Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District 2,384 FRPM Students

Dr. Thomas J. Lohwasser Dixie Elementary School District 212 FRPM Students

Brian Dolan Dixon Unified School District 1,627 FRPM Students

Dr. Stephen L. Hanke Dublin Unified School District 734 FRPM Students

Dan Moser East Side Union High School District 10,351 FRPM Students

John Sugiyama Emery Unified School District 660 FRPM Students

Kathy Gomez Evergreen Elementary School District 4,143 FRPM Students

Dr. John R. Porter Franklin-McKinley School District 8,033 FRPM Students

Dr. James Morris Fremont Unified School District 6,343 FRPM Students

Polly Bove Fremont Union High School District 1,298 FRPM Students

Dr. Deborah A. Flores Gilroy Unified School District 6,943 FRPM Students

Janis Duran Hayward Unified School District 13,548 FRPM Students Kelly Bowers Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District 3,505 FRPM Students Dr. Wesley Smith Morgan Hill Unified School District 3,232 FRPM Students

Bernardo Vidales Jefferson Elementary School District 3,826 FRPM Students Bob Mistele Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High SD 49 FRPM Students Craig Goldman Mountain View Whisman SD 2,200 FRPM Students

Thomas H. Minshew Jefferson Union High School District 1,903 FRPM Students Richard Rodrigez Luther Burbank School District 508 FRPM Students Dr. Barry R. Groves Mountain View-Los Altos Union High SD 673 FRPM Students

Mike McLaughlin, Ed.D. John Swett Unified School District 782 FRPM Students Rami Muth Martinez Unified School District 1,059 FRPM Students Steven Lawrence Ph. D. Mt. Diablo Unified School District 12,181 FRPM Students

Luke McCann Laguna Joint Elementary School District 15 FRPM Students Ken Benny Mill Valley School District 107 FRPM Students Mariann Engle Mount Pleasant Elementary School District 1,918 FRPM Students

Valerie Pitts, Ed.D. Larkspur School District 100 FRPM Students

Eric Volta Liberty Union High School District 1,082 FRPM Students Cary Matsuoka Superintendent Milpitas Unified SD 3,238 FRPM Students Dr. Dave Marken Newark Unified School District 3,042 FRPM Students

Linda C. Luna Millbrae Elementary School District 475 FRPM Students Kari McVeigh New Haven Unified School District 5,485 FRPM Students

Pam Conklin Novato Unified School District 2,239 FRPM Students

Tony Garcia Oak Grove School District 5,613 FRPM Students

Tony Smith, Ph. D. Oakland Unified School District 33,135 FRPM Students

Dr. Richard Rogers Joseph A. Amelio Oakley Union Orchard School District Elementary School District 424 FRPM Students 2,165 FRPM Students

Wendy S. Tukloff, Ed.D. Pacifica School District 677 FRPM Students

Kevin Skelly, Ph. D. Palo Alto Unified School District 1,027 FRPM Students

Steve Bolman Petaluma City Schools 2,719 FRPM Students

Linda K. Rondeau Pittsburg Unified School District 7,984 FRPM Students

Parvin Ahmadi Pleasanton Unified School District 1,000 FRPM Students

Maria Meza De La Vega Ravenswood City School District 3,809 FRPM Students

Jan Christensen Redwood City School District 5,906 FRPM Students

Eileen Rohan Ross Valley School District 209 FRPM Students

Dr. David Hutt San Bruno Park Elementary School District 1,074 FRPM Students Dr. Michael Watenpaugh San Rafael City Schools 3,217 FRPM Students

Dr. Craig Baker San Carlos School District 158 FRPM Students

Vincent Matthews, Ed.D. San Jose Unified School District 14,594 FRPM Students

Cindy M. Cathey San Leandro Unified School District 4,772 FRPM Students

Dr. Dennis D. Byas San Lorenzo Unified School DIstrict 6,080 FRPM Students

Pendery Clark San Mateo-Foster City School District 3,504 FRPM Students

Scott Laurence San Mateo Union High School District 1,512 FRPM Students

Dr. Debra A. Bradley Sausalito Marin City School District 271 FRPM Students

James Lianides, Ed.D. Sequoia Union High School District 3,203 FRPM Students

Stephen Rosenthal Shoreline Unified School District 315 FRPM Students

Alejandro Hogan South San Francisco Unified School District 4,204 FRPM Students

Benjamin H. Picard, Ed.D. Sunnyvale Unified School District 3,187 FRPM Students

Kate Wren Gavlak Travis Unified School District 1,128 FRPM Students

Jacqueline Horejs Union Elementary School District 712 FRPM Students

Gary L. McIntire Ed.D. Hollister School District 3,766 FRPM Students

John Niederkorn Vacaville Unified School District 4,602 FRPM Students

Ramona E. Bishop Vallejo City Unified School District 9,350 FRPM Students

Bruce Harter West Contra Costa Unified School District 20,417 FRPM Students

Updated August 2012