The Coachella Valley's three school districts suffered greatly in this year's state budget cuts, and we are concerned about what the future holds for them.

However, there have been promising recent developments involving support for education from opposite ends of the spectrum.

From the state and national perspective, the good news is that the California Legislature has approved a measure to change certain state policies so it can apply for part of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top package.

As we indicated last week, we don't like the technique of President Barack Obama making the money conditional on state's conforming to his proposals, but the potential of $500 million for state education is urgently needed.

Closer to home, and much more immediate, it is great to see local parental support groups stepping up fundraising efforts for music, arts and other programs that are suffering in this age of austerity.

This is a trend throughout the state, according to the California State Parent Teacher Association.

Locally, efforts include:

The PTO at Ronald Reagan Elementary in Palm Desert saw a surge in parental involvement and raised $21,000 to bring music and arts programs back into the classrooms.

And the Cahuilla Elementary School in Palm Springs has put a new emphasis on technology instead of field trips.

The city of Coachella has been distributing grants for the last three years for district after-school programs that focus on real-life learning experiences.

Oasis School's parent group has shifted focus away from fundraising to do what they can to provide other parents with the resources to help students at home, librarian Limba Contreras said.

Parent support doesn't have to be financial to make a difference.

Parental involvement is important in improving education. Good teachers are essential.

It was also satisfying to see the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce present its annual Red Apple Awards on Tuesday to 11 outstanding teachers in the Palm Springs Unified School District. Other districts hand out the awards later in the school year.

Near the end of the school year, the Cathedral City chamber will play host to the Golden Apple Awards, which are distributed to teachers, administrators and staff valleywide.

A well-educated work force is essential to the state's future. It needs adequate funding from the top, parental support from the bottom and great teachers in between.