Balancing Budgets

1 day ago

3 min read

By Aditi Shukla Nov. 4, 2026

Across campus, programs like Drama, Speech and Debate and Robotics have developed a range of methods

to fund their activities, from boba fundraisers to applying for scholarships.

Elizabeth Taylor-Rotzow, Visual Arts and English Department, directs and produces Drama’s shows,

leads the budget team and finalizes cast lists. Producing shows requires funding for suitable costumes, sets and rights to music and scripts. Mrs. Taylor-Rotzow said family donations are their biggest source of income as it allows families to become involved in their child’s success and is a reliable source of annual funding.

In addition, drama also utilizes corporate matching. Under these programs, employees from a company

donate money to a school or organization, and their employers provide matching funds to the same organization. In parallel, Taylor-Rotzow works with Vertical Raise to schedule a visit in which a representative comes to the school to teach students how to promote fundraisers through QR codes, links and videos that they can send to friends and family. Drama reduces costs by buying discounted props, costumes and sets from the West Valley Light Opera which went out of business and wants to empty out their inventory. This year, Drama was able to obtain a new brick backdrop and realistic street scenes from West Valley Light Opera.

Beyond family donations, Speech and Debate uses boba fundraisers and concession profits from

tournaments and team bonding events like pasta night to generate enough funding to cover the team’s costs.

According to Junior Lara Kadir, Speech and Debate’s head of fundraising, the team’s fundraising committee

organizes these events by selecting a date, arranging for a supervising teacher, estimating supply needs and

obtaining approval from their coaches, ASB and the bank. To ensure that the fundraisers run smoothly, members of the committee have to promote the fundraiser on social media and secure volunteers to run the fundraiser. The money generated then goes into covering tournaments fees, hiring judges for tournaments and coaches for training. This year they were able to hire head Coach Jon Joey Telebrico, as well as specialized event coaches.

“The biggest challenge is getting people to show up to our fundraisers. Although most people have heard of Speech and Debate, fewer understand what the activity involves, making it harder to generate interesy compared to more widelt recognized sports like football" Kadir said

Unlike programs that receive school funding, the FIRST Robotics Competition Team 604 Quixilver relies

on parent donations and corporate sponsorships to cover its expenses, since they are not a class. Because

building and maintaining a robot costs thousands of dollars every season, the team focuses on applying for

sponsorships and grants that are dedicated to robotics teams rather than holding fundraisers. Application

questions involve asking about the team’s outreach impact and performance. Currently, Apple is one of their

largest contributors.

“The robot costs about 45k. I help design and build the robot, and help manage he media aspect of the club" Sophomore Aaron Jao said

Different student programs use various methods like parent donations, corporate sponsors and school

fundraisers to sustain their programs throughout the year. Securing adequate funding remains essential in

keeping these programs running and providing students with necessary equipment and materials to succeed.

About the Contributors

Aditi Shukla

Staff Writer

Aditi Shukla is a sophomore at Leland High School, and this is her first year in journalism. She signed up to be a writer and especially wants to write in the science and tech section. She can be found playing tennis for the school team as well as for fun, as well as hanging out with friends and family.