Vista Teachers Association Scholarship Fund
The VTASF is virtually unique in California—a scholarship fund that rewards hundreds of students who are not our own dependents. And every teacher in this Association can be proud of that fact. The students need your help NOW.
THE LAST: SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUR DEPENDENTS
As indicated above, 2024 will be the last year that VTASF Scholarships will be available. On behalf of the VTASF Board, I sincerely thank the hundreds of teachers and other certificated staff whose support made these awards possible since 1988. Particularly to you Century Club members, deepest gratitude for your steadfast generosity, which will enable VTASF to surpass $1,000,000 in scholarships, awarded to nearly 2500 students.
Your commitment made our Association’s scholarship fund exceptional—the only one to reward 2/3 of our funds to students not related to us, as well as awarding our dependents for up to four years, and to acknowledge Continuation and Special Education High School students.
Hundreds of our recipients were the first in their family to attend college, or even to graduate from high school. Many had never been recognized before, and the acknowledgement of their efforts that you provided was so much greater than the actual dollar amount. Political refugees, teen parents, special ed students, students remarkable for their service to others, and, of course, academic achievers and those in need of financial aid—such a broad mixture of recipients.
You made all of that possible.
However, it is apparent that we have come to the end of an era. VTASF is no longer sustainable as a viable scholarship organization. For more than a dozen years, VTASF routinely had more than 500 contributors (one year reached 580); now there are barely 300 donors. As longtime participants have retired, few new donors have filled the void. This predicament should not surprise anyone who has read the VTAdvocate Scholarship Edition or this document during the past decade. The surplus that we were able to build will disappear this year. With three comprehensive high schools, four non-traditional high schools, graduating senior and college-age dependents, less available funds going forward will further diminish VTASF’s ability to reward but a fraction of deserving applicants.
I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Your contributions have made a significant difference in students’ lives beyond what you accomplish in your classrooms.
Please allow your monthly donations to continue through June—we obviously want there to be adequate funds to provide for this year’s recipients.
All payroll deductions will end at that time.
Paul Farrar
VTASF Chair
(Retired 2004)
Eligibility for VTASF High School Seniors Scholarships:
● All graduating VUSD seniors.
● Children of contributing VTA members graduating from any high school.
Scholarship applications for all graduating seniors and post-secondary dependents are only available online at www.vistata.org/scholarships
Click on RESOURCES, then click on SCHOLARSHIPS.
Completed digital applications for graduating seniors must emailed to vtasecretary@gmail.com no later than Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Eligibility for VTASF Post-Secondary Scholarships:
- Children of contributing bargaining unit members who are full time college undergraduates are eligible.
- Limited funds combined with numerous applicants make the Post-Secondary Scholarships competitive. Thus, awards are not guaranteed.
Completed digital applications for the Post-Secondary Scholarships must be emailed to vtasecretary@gmail.com no later than Friday, May 31, 2024.
Students applying for any VTASF Scholarships should note the following criteria:
1. GPA of approximately 3.0 or better
2. Involvement in school and community activities
3. Open to all career interest areas
If you have any questions, please contact the VTA Office, vtasecretary@gmail.com or call 760-758-2690.