About Us
In 2014, a group of parents created the Foundation with the goal of supporting our school amidst the pending North Carolina and Raleigh budget cuts. When funding cuts come "down the pipeline," Principals are forced to cut crucial positions; cutting a teacher means increased class sizes, cutting a Specialist means reducing arts offerings and opportunities for students, cutting a teacher assistant means reduced instructional support for enrichment and remediation, cutting a support staff means reduced services, etc. The surge of alternative school options (charter schools, private schools, homeschool curriculums, etc.) also means reduced community support for public schools, and the Foundation aims to counter that. By tapping into our school community, our fundraising efforts allow us to provide direct financial support to Underwood's greatest asset, it's amazing teachers and support staff.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Underwood Foundation is to maintain the excellence of our school program by supporting initiatives which recruit and retain quality teachers, enable and bolster rich instructional programming, and sustain the educational environment.
Our Vision
Establishing a foundation allows members of the community to support funding stability for our school, preserving the components essential to our school’s success.
How are we different?
A traditional PTA (Parent Teacher Association) can only buy tangible items, like instructional supplies, technology, etc. so the Foundation has a distinctly different purpose. The Foundation was created to provide stability for our school as the funding can directly pay staff salaries and fund salary budget gaps that are not funded by the county and state
Get to know us better through our video here.
The Underwood GT Magnet Elementary School Foundation Tax ID/EIN# is 46-5239516. The Foundation is a 501c3 tax-exempt public charity. Contributions to the Foundation may be deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.