2010-11 YFPE Annual Report - York County Schools

York Foundation for Public Education, Inc.Our MissionThe York Foundation for Public Education, Inc. (YFPE, Inc.)supports public education inYork County by developing resources to encourage educational innovation, promoteand recognize excellence, and address the needs of all students, faculty and staff of theYork County School Division.Public education in the United States is at a crossroads. Depending on our actions, the future promises either continueddecline and mediocrity or the development of effective solutions. The short and long-term impact on our children, ourcommunities and our country is staggering.Generations of York County residents have held to a value that is at the heart of this community – the belief that allchildren deserve an exceptional, high-quality education. Our schools touch not only the lives of our children but alsopeople of all ages across our community. They have an enormous impact on the county’s economic viability – fromproviding an educated workforce and offering local employers a key amenity that attracts quality employees, to beinga major factor when people select a neighborhood in which to live. Our schools make a difference each and every dayin our quality of life.As important as the public schools are to the quality of life in York County, they are, more than ever, vulnerable to therealities of growing needs and shrinking resources. Here, and throughout the country, education is dealing with thecontinuing sting of financial cuts that place stress on all levels of government. While expectations soar and resourcesdwindle, our schools are working to level the playing field so our children can compete in a global economy.As expectations change, the York County School Division (YCSD) must ensure that our children are taught not only thebasics but the skills needed to compete globally. We must help them to approach education with the sense of joy thatwill encourage them to become inquisitive life-long learners. Because this approach requires additional funding, publicand private partnerships, in the form of education foundations have been developed in thousands of school districtsacross the nation, and York County was among the first in this region.2 York Foundation for Public Education, Inc.