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The Cascadia Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a non-profit organization committed to supporting families, teachers and school leadership.
On October 7th, 2025, our PTA will kick off its annual Red Envelope Giving Campaign!!!
At Cascadia, we keep our fundraising simple and straightforward. Instead of multiple asks throughout the year and various fundraising events (auctions, fun-runs etc..), our PTA makes ONE donation request to families per year via the Red Envelope Giving Campaign. This year’s campaign will run Oct 7th to Oct. 29th, 2025.
This year’s suggested donation is $675 per student.
Funds raised through the Red Envelope Giving Campaign directly fund this year’s school budget. This year, the Cascadia PTA is seeking to fundraise $380,000 (6.5% of the school’s total annual budget).
What does my donation support?
Core Staff Salaries & Wages
- 100% of the general education instructional assistant’s salary. Schools with more funding per student than Cascadia (which is many schools within the district), use their SPS funding to hire multiple instructional assistants that help teachers in many very badly needed ways throughout the school day. They are an extra adult in the building to lend a pair of hands to any task that needs to be done, they assist with supervision and they provide key assistance to a teacher when a student is struggling with self regulation. At Cascadia, the general education instructional assistant helps in all of these ways and also runs lunch groups for students having a hard time making friends, and helps new students to Cascadia who are struggling to integrate. Our school has students that do not qualify for an IEP or a 504 plan but nonetheless have individualized, heightened needs that must be met. The presence of a general education instructional assistant in the building better ensures these students have their needs met and that Cascadia classrooms are welcoming, productive and safe spaces for all of our students.
- 80% of the instrumental music teacher’s salary. This year, all interested 4th and 5th graders have received a place in the instrumental music program. If the Cascadia PTA did not fund this position, NO students at Cascadia would have access to instrumental music.
- 50% of the full-time school nurse’s salary. This year we have a full-time nurse, present at the school five days a week. This ensures our students are safe in the classroom and on the playground. This would not be possible without PTA funding.
- 20% of the math instructional assistant’s salary. This position is critical at Cascadia, where the students are working on math two grade levels ahead, and approximately 30% of students are new and coming from their local schools where the math was very different. This position ensures no student is falling through the cracks and that all students are building a strong foundation in math.
- $10,000 for additional recess supervision (3 additional supervisors). These extra adults on site are critical to ensuring that there is appropriate supervision to keep our children safe given the large population of our school. This also means that the shared turf field will ALWAYS be open this year.
Curriculum
- 100% of the iLab program
- 100% of the garden program
- 100% of the 5th grade performing arts program
- 100% IXL, 100% Handwriting Without Tears, $4000 for needed art-room supplies
Staff Support
- Professional development (recent trainings: CPR, 2E students, gifted education)
- Grants for special projects (recent grants: NASA project materials, election textbooks)
Student Support
- Scholarships for instrumental music, field trips (including 5th grade camp), and after school enrichment
Community Engagement
- Community events like Culture Night and Science & Engineering Night
To promote school spirit during this campaign, students will be entered into a weekly raffle to win prizes (Lego kits!) once their hardcopy OR online donation form is returned (regardless of the level of giving). Classes with the most returned red envelopes (hard copy OR online donation forms) will also win a visit from the Cascadia Dragon – and the right to temporarily name the dragon! All gifts will be distributed after the campaign concludes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do PTAs fundraise at all?
Many would agree that, ideally, PTAs shouldn’t be fundraising, that the state should fully fund public education. But the reality is Washington state chronically underfunds education and this has only gotten worse in recent years with additional state and federal budget cuts. 1) McCleary, a 2012 Washington State Supreme Court case meant to address historic underfunding of rural districts, has over-corrected things such that urban districts like Seattle are not getting their fair share of education dollars. Especially given the cost of living crisis in Seattle, it simply costs more for our teachers to live here and more for us to fund their salaries and we are not getting this funding from the state. 2) Education funding as a % of overall state funding has decreased from approximately 50% to 42% in recent years. Put another way, the state is underfunding education by approximately $4 billion a year. 3) To limit state funding on education the state arbitrarily caps the % of special education services it will fund to 10% of the student population. But in Seattle the special education population is more like 14% – and this “extra” 4% of students are morally, ethically and legally entitled to receive the special education services they need. This creates a big hole in SPS’s budget.
Why are you asking for so much?
Faced with financial scarcity and impossible choices, the district has to decide where to deploy its too limited funds. Sensibly, there is an equity-tiering model to funding, and schools deemed less in need both because of the socio economic background of the students and because of test scores, get less funding. Last year, Cascadia was 101 out of 102 SPS schools in terms of the amount of funding we received per student. Regardless of their test scores, Cascadia students are young children that need a certain number of adults in the building for there to be adequate adult supervision. They need a nurse. Therefore the Cascadia PTA (with your help) steps in and fills the gap in funding to keep our students thriving and safe.
What if we cannot donate $675 per student?
We recognize, appreciate and understand that different families have different finances and encourage you to donate the amount that is right for your family. Every year we see a range from $0 to well above the per-student ask. We are all in this together as a community and we are all equal and valued members of our community, regardless of our level of giving. We are hopeful that as a community we will reach our fundraising goal of $380,000, so that ALL Cascadia students can continue to benefit from the safe and nurturing environment our school offers them.
What is a red envelope?
On Tuesday October 7, students will receive red envelopes in their school cubbies. The red envelope contains: 1) a letter to parents explaining what your donations fund; and 2) a hardcopy donation form where you indicate if you are choosing to donate and how much you are donating.
What do I do with my red envelope?
Please complete the hardcopy donation form and return it in the red envelope to your child’s homeroom teacher by October 29, 2025. Even if you donate online via Paypal (below), or are choosing not to donate at all, please return the hardcopy donation form and red envelope for each child you have at Cascadia. Alternatively, you can digitally “return” your red envelope by submitting an online donation form (below). You must submit a hard copy donation form or an online donation form in order to receive a tax receipt for your donation.
Our goal is for every family to return their red envelopes (hardcopy or online donation form) regardless of the level of giving. Every year we see a range from $0 to well above the per-student ask. 100% participation is the goal!
When is the deadline?
Donation forms and red envelopes should be returned to your student’s homeroom teacher (or submitted online) by Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
How can I donate money?
You can donate via PayPal, cash or check. Click here to donate online via PayPal. Please note PayPal charges a non-profit collection fee of 1.99% + $0.49 per transaction. You can choose to offset these charges when you donate.
To donate by cash or check, use the hard copy red envelope going home with students October 7: have your student return their red envelope to their homeroom teacher with your cash or check payable to the Cascadia PTA by Wednesday, October 29th, 2025.
Whether you donate via PayPal or by cash or check, again, please remember to ALSO complete the online donation form OR return the hardcopy donation form by October 29, 2025.
***You must complete the online donation form OR hardcopy donation form for the Cascadia PTA to generate your tax receipt.***
Can we spread our donation throughout the year?
Yes! You can set up recurring monthly donations via PayPal.
Do you accept employer matches?
YES!!! Every year, employer matches play a big part in our red envelope campaign. Please reach out to your employer and request matching funds. Please indicate the name of your employer your Red Envelope form (paper or digital) so that the PTA can anticipate the matching gift. If you need more information, please email us at fundraising@cascadiapta.org.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes! Cascadia PTA will provide you a letter documenting your contribution. Letters will be distributed approximately one month after the conclusion of the Annual Fund. Our Tax ID is 45-2972289.
