Redwood City has experienced immense growth in the past decade, especially within the tech industry, with more than 150 tech companies calling Redwood City home today.
But that growth hasn’t trickled down to the local school system, according to Dan Ho, Cody Voellinger and Jane Buescher, local parents and denizens of the tech industry. Budget cuts due to declining enrollment recently forced the Redwood City School District, where over half of kids are income eligible to receive free or reduced lunches, to close four schools.
And so Ho, Voellingera and Buescher have founded Community Best, a nonprofit aimed at supporting the school district by connecting it to the local tech community.
Redwood City Mayor Ian Bain, who joined the Community Best team as a Special Advisor, said the city needs “corporate neighbors with great people, ingenuity and resources to get involved.”
“I joined Community Best in an advisory role to help bridge the gap between tech companies and local communities,” Bain said in a statement.
Tom Moss, COO at Skydio, an autonomous drone startup headquartered in Redwood City, expressed a desire to “give back and also deepen our ties with the community and local schools.” Meanwhile, Sandra Oh Lin, CEO of KiwiCO, says her company “wants STEAM education available to all children.”
“Our mission at KiwiCo is to provide the next generation of innovators with the tools and a foundation to become creative problem-solvers and critical thinkers,” Lin said. “So we are excited to partner with Community Best and contribute to STEAM initiatives at Redwood City schools.”
Community Best is hosting their first fundraiser to support Redwood City Schools, a “Night Out with Community Best,” on Thursday, May 30 at Angelicas in Redwood City. Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased here.
For more information about Community Best and ways you can get involved you can visit their website here.
