Mission Statement

PAWS (Partners Advancing West Islip Students) is an independent, not-for profit organization dedicated to enriching the educational experience.

PAWS generates resources through community support to promote, sponsor and enhance learning opportunities for our children.

Education Foundations in other public school districts have used their funds for a Grand Piano, TVs, VCRs, Desktop Publishing Programs, Science Expos, Health Incentive Programs, Library Literary Resources, Art Easels & Lighting and Renaissance Programs.

Donations to PAWS may be stipulated in a Last Will & Testament or in any other legal bequest.  Monies raised by PAWS have no connection or impact on the district's tax base or school budgets.  PAWS is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York.

What is an Education Foundation?

Foundations for public schools have been around since the 1970s and the numbers are climbing.  Many private schools, colleges and universities use foundations, often relying on their fund-raising prowess to generate a substantial percentage of their institutional budgets.  Although there is no central registry of public school foundations in the United States, they are located in every state, and best estimates put the number at over 3,000.

Community volunteers who serve on this non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation will be thinking outside-the-box for ways to assist the district with needed money, for instance, that school districts might not otherwise receive.

In a number of districts, private funds keep various programs alive when declining tax revenues at state and/or local levels threaten to eliminate the least "essential" ones.