Wednesday, May 04, 2011

From a message to parents of my son's school concerning a fundraiser:
...donations support critical operating needs, including salaries for additional teachers and teaching assistants and teacher professional development....  It is important that (said school) have high family participation because foundations often want to know if we have the support of our own families before they will give money to the school. (boldface mine)
Oh, the horror.  The continued obstacle course that must be run or else our children's education will suffer even more than it already has.  Our state is cutting funding for schools so violently and deeply that if you don't show us the money, neither will these foundations we have to beg from.

Shouldn't educators and their administrations be doing something like, I don't know, actually teaching the kids?  I'm sure having to scrounge around for funding isn't sitting well with them, either.  I almost expect there to be bouncer/enforcers walking around at school fundraising opportunities next.

Make no mistake: I personally don't mind contributing some money to the kitty, but I think of the parents who just can't and I wonder how well this argument is going over with them.

3 comments:

Kelly said...

Foundations want to know the percentage of parents who have given in order to show that there is parental involvement and, I'm guessing, that the school has made an effort to collect. $5 is not too much for a family to contribute to support their kid's public school. One look at private school costs is a good reminder of that. Sure the state should pony up, but until then, it's up to the parents. :)

Leigh C. said...

Agreed. It' just kind of annoying how much the slack parents have to take up increases each year.

saintseester said...

But what about the schools and kids whose parents either cannot volunteer/donate or the ones who don't really care. There are plenty of them out there. But, why on earth should their kids be punished for their bad attitudes?

I think these foundations have to consider that sometimes its the kids with no parental support that need the most we can give them.