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San Francisco teachers create nonprofit to fundraise for school without a PTA

San Francisco teachers create nonprofit to fundraise for school without a PTA

Money Moves San Francisco, CA local

Visitacion Valley Middle School serves about 300 students, 82.8% of them economically disadvantaged, and has no parent-teacher association.

Today: Mission Local reports Friends of Viz Valley

Overview

Updated 2 hours ago

Visitacion Valley Middle School has no parent-teacher association. In late 2026, a group of teachers and staff there started Friends of Viz Valley, a nonprofit meant to raise money the school would otherwise get from a PTA.

The school serves about 300 students in southeast San Francisco. 82.8% are economically disadvantaged, and the principal says most families cannot donate. The nonprofit has raised $3,000 so far and is awaiting IRS recognition, expected in early 2027.

Why it matters

Parent-teacher groups can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for one school, so a school without one starts the fundraising race behind.

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Key Indicators

82.8%
Students economically disadvantaged
Share of Visitacion Valley Middle School students listed as economically disadvantaged on the California School Dashboard.
300
Students at the school
Visitacion Valley Middle School serves about 300 students in grades 6 through 8.
59
SFUSD schools with a PTA
Second District PTA provided Mission Local a list showing 59 district schools have a parent-teacher association.
about 40
SFUSD schools without a PTA
About 40 San Francisco Unified School District schools do not have a parent-teacher association.
$3,000
Raised by Friends of Viz Valley
Music teacher Lauren Schwartz raised this amount by sharing the nonprofit's website on Facebook.
$800
First nonprofit donation spent
The group put this amount toward a Latin Heritage Month cultural event.
$845,000
Claire Lilienthal PTA donation
Claire Lilienthal Elementary School's PTA gave the school this amount in 2025, showing the top end of PTA fundraising.

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People Involved

Lauren Schwartz
Lauren Schwartz
Music teacher at Visitacion Valley Middle School; organizer of Friends of Viz Valley
Leading nonprofit formation; awaiting IRS recognition
MB
Maya Baker
Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School
Supporting the nonprofit effort
MS
Maria Su
Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District
Announced new enrollment system in October 2026
KM
Karen Cheng Meiselman
Executive director of Second District PTA
Described PTA recruitment challenges
CA
Crystal Alvarado
Board member of Friends of Viz Valley; teacher at Visitacion Valley Middle School
Helping direct first-year nonprofit spending

Organizations Involved

FV
Friends of Viz Valley
School support nonprofit
Forming; awaiting IRS 501(c)(3) recognition

A nonprofit created by teachers and staff at Visitacion Valley Middle School to raise money in place of a PTA.
VV
Visitacion Valley Middle School
Public middle school
About 300 students; no PTA

A public middle school in southeast San Francisco serving grades 6 through 8.
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco Unified School District
School District
Superintendent acknowledged inequitable resources

The public school district serving San Francisco.
SD
Second District PTA
PTA branch
Provided data on SFUSD PTA coverage

A branch of the California State PTA serving San Francisco parent-teacher associations.
SPARK
SPARK
Public school foundation
Launching campaign for schools without PTAs

San Francisco Unified School District's public foundation.

Timeline

1978 November 2026

5 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Mission Local reports Friends of Viz Valley

    Today Report

    Mission Local reported that teachers at Visitacion Valley Middle School created a nonprofit to raise funds in place of a PTA.

  2. SFUSD announces new enrollment system

    Policy

    Superintendent Maria Su announced the district's new enrollment system and acknowledged that schools are inequitably resourced.

  3. Claire Lilienthal PTA gives $845,000

    Fundraising

    Claire Lilienthal Elementary School's PTA gave the school $845,000 in 2025; prior years topped $1 million.

  4. Mission High Foundation founded

    Precedent

    Mission Local cites the Mission High Foundation as a rare precedent for a nonprofit tied to a San Francisco public school.

  5. Proposition 13 cuts school property taxes

    Policy

    California voters passed Proposition 13, cutting property taxes that fund schools. The article says PTAs became fundraising powerhouses as districts plugged budget holes.

Scenarios

1

IRS recognizes Friends of Viz Valley as a 501(c)(3)

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Mission Local, citing organizers' expectation of IRS recognition in early 2027

The group is awaiting official nonprofit status. If the IRS approves, Friends of Viz Valley can operate as a tax-exempt charity and solicit donations with standard nonprofit paperwork.

2

Friends of Viz Valley funds heritage months and a field trip in its first year

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Mission Local, citing the group's first-year goals

Board members identified two goals for the first year: giving $800 to celebrate heritage months and funding a field trip. The field trip could be local rather than a Disneyland trip.

3

SPARK campaign draws donations to schools without PTAs

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: SFUSD spokesperson Katrina Kincaide, as reported by Mission Local

The district's public foundation is launching a campaign for schools without a PTA or fundraising structure. If it raises money, it could supplement efforts like Friends of Viz Valley and reach other schools.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1978

Proposition 13 (1978)

California voters passed Proposition 13, cutting the property taxes that fund schools. The article says PTAs became fundraising powerhouses as districts plugged budget holes left by the cuts.

Then

School budgets tightened and parent groups took on more fundraising.

Now

Wealthier PTAs could raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, while schools without them fell behind.

Why this matters now

Visitacion Valley's nonprofit is a response to that gap: a school without a PTA trying to build its own fundraising structure.

2014

Mission High Foundation (2014)

Mission Local reports that Zac Fisher and Stephen Lambright, friends of Mission High's then-principal, founded the Mission High Foundation. The article cites it as a rare precedent for a nonprofit tied to a San Francisco public school.

Then

The foundation gave Mission High an outside fundraising vehicle that was not a PTA.

Now

It offered a model for other school communities considering a nonprofit.

Why this matters now

Friends of Viz Valley is following a similar path: a school-linked nonprofit rather than a traditional parent-teacher association.

2025

Claire Lilienthal PTA fundraising (2025)

Claire Lilienthal Elementary School's PTA gave the school $845,000 in 2025. The article says the PTA raised more than $1 million in prior school years.

Then

The school received a large private donation through its PTA.

Now

The figures illustrate the fundraising gap between schools with strong PTAs and schools without them.

Why this matters now

Visitacion Valley's teachers are trying to build a much smaller fundraising operation from scratch, without a PTA network.

Sources

(1)
Mission Local