Our Funding Focus

Vashon Public Schools receive vital programs and services that the State of Washington doesn’t fully fund. Since 2010, we’ve raised more than $3 million dollars, working hand-in-hand with families, teachers, and the Vashon Island School District to identify what our students need to succeed. Our funding currently supports critical youth programming and essential staffing for Vashon public schools. Through community support and commitment to the Vashon Schools Foundation, direct impact was made to funding dedicated school staff, science curriculum, critical social-emotional support, arts in the classroom, and so much more. 

Vulnerable Student Support

Vashon Youth and Family Services

Vashon Youth and Family Services (VYFS) partners with school counselors and staff to provide students and families with behavioral health and case management support services. This includes counseling to mono-lingual and multi-lingual students as well as resource referral and navigation.

Journeymen

Journeymen mentors Vashon youth by offering positive role models who facilitate weekly in-school talking circles and experiential learning. Using nature-based rights of passage, mentorship, and community engagement, they encourage compassionate, inspired, and resilient youth.

Nature-Based Science 

Scientists in Schools, Vashon Nature Center

Through a partnership with Vashon Nature Center, Scientists in Schools facilitates student projects with real-life benefits and valuable teacher resources across all three schools, as well as FamilyLink and StudentLink. Scientists in Schools reaches over 40% students each school year.

Artists in Schools

Vashon Artists in Schools, Vashon Center for the Arts

Vashon Artists in Schools enhances curriculum by pairing professional regional artists with VISD classroom teachers. By bringing the arts to students in the classroom, the program helps remove barriers to arts education, reaching approximately 80% of students.

Essential Staffing

Washington State is mandated to fund basic education, yet state funding does not fully cover essential staff and services in our schools, such as educators, counselors, nurses, reading and math intervention, substitute teachers, electives, maintenance, and athletics. In this complex funding climate, VSF is committed to directly funding additional staff positions that make the greatest impact in our schools.

In 2025-2026 school year, VSF funded two essential staff positions—a Family Engagement Coordinator and Reading and Math Intervention in all three schools —to support our most vulnerable students. These roles provide critical academic and family support, made possible through donations from our community.

In the 2024-25 school year, we raised funds to help bridge a critical gap when deep cuts in state funding for public education threatened two of Vashon Schools most valuable positions: the school nurse and middle school counselor. Faced with this daunting funding gap, our community rose to the challenge. Through our annual GiveBig campaign in May 2024, we raised more than $88,000, covering the 2024-2025 school year salaries of these staff members who are protecting students’ physical and social-emotional well-being so that they can learn and succeed.