The turnout was small but the enthusiasm huge as musicians — young and younger — put out their collective hats to raise money Sunday for music and other programs in the Alum Rock Union School District.
The sparse attendance at the fundraiser, which featured the Alum Rock Jazz Band and the Funk Train Xpress, a rhythm-and-blues/soul group that includes Alum Rock band alumni, illustrated the challenges facing schools, especially those serving Silicon Valley's poor.
Although several dozen people showed up, the $20 requested donation deterred many low-income parents in East Side communities served by Alum Rock, sponsors said. And other events on a busy weekend competed for the residents' time.
From PTAs to school district foundations, groups are staging fundraisers to try to stave off the wolf at schoolhouse doors, as California schools draw up their 2010-11 budgets and face the deepest cuts in decades.
Also on the East Side on Sunday, more than 1,000 people walked and ran a 5K course to raise funds for sports in 
News > Education
Schools try fundraisers to save music, sports, small classes
From PTAs to school district foundations, groups are staging fundraisers to try to stave off the wolf at schoolhouse doors, as California schools draw up their 2010-11 budgets and face the deepest cuts in decades.