Over the past 13 years, more than $1.5 million in private donations, along with equal contributions of volunteer time and effort, have allowed the Lexington Education Foundation (LEF) to contribute energetically to the quality of our public schools. LEF grants afford our teachers the opportunity to bring innovation and imagination into every classroom, through initiatives beyond the reach of the school operating budget. The foundation's long track record includes the development of vibrant programs such as Big Backyard, Teacher Mentoring, and Writing Across the Curriculum - successes that stand out even against the backdrop of consistent excellence in Lexington schools.

This year, however, LEF has observed the early warning signs of erosion in the quality of Lexington schools. In 2003, for the first time, we saw dedicated teachers - former LEF grant recipients - laid off and quickly hired by other school systems. We witnessed the first occurrence of a teacher returning an LEF grant because her position had been terminated. We saw a successful grant recipient and Summer Fellow resign to take a job elsewhere due to job insecurity. These losses of talent and experience reverberate throughout the system, depriving students of expertise this community paid to develop, and leaving behind colleagues with flagging morale and increased workloads. Committed educators are the front line in our schools; when they leave, they take with them years of knowledge and experience, cultivated by Lexington dollars.

The tensions in our town budget are real. In search of creative solutions, some community members have looked to LEF to help alleviate budget shortfalls. While LEF has a critical role to play in supporting excellence in the schools, it relies on the town to provide adequate funding for budget basics such as salaries, buildings, books and supplies. Why not shift some of these expenses to private organizations such as LEF?

The school's budget gap this year cannot be bridged by any Lexington-based fund-raising organization. Compare LEF's $240,000 grant pool (2004) with the $3.2 million of school expenses at risk in the June 8 override and you quickly see the problem. Without the requested $3.2 million in school funding, Lexington schools will experience growth in class sizes due to staff lay-offs; cuts in sports programs; losses in curriculum, technology, textbooks, supplies, and more. (The full list is available at the town Web site: ci.lexington.ma.us). Private fundraising cannot restore losses of this magnitude - nor should it. The unpredictability of private fundraising can hamper fiscal planning, and reliance on donations can make schools vulnerable to the influence of private contributors, potentially creating uneven support across schools and programming.

With help from generous supporters, LEF will continue to do its part by ensuring that educators have access to grants that improve instructional practices and support creative responses to reductions in resources. And we rely on the residents of the town to do their part - to be informed and active participants in the town's ballot process. We urge residents to learn about the budget decisions we all face and to participate actively in this real-life civics lesson for Lexington's children. The outcome of this particular lesson - which culminates in the vote on June 8 - will be felt in every classroom next year, making a daily difference in the lives of over 6,000 of our young citizens.

Leslie Nicholson is the president of LEF.