One of my BU journalism students is writing about equity among PTOs in the elementary schools. This was a much-discussed issue at School Committee meetings last year, I believe, but she can’t find any parents or PTO presidents who are willing to talk to her about the issue. She just wants different perspectives on how fundraising and spending works at different schools. Her emails to several PTO and PTO Council officers have gone unanswered.
Please help out. If we are going to be successful in the efforts to increase Newton coverage with college students, we need people to step up and talk to these young journalists.
Please email [email protected] if you are involved in an elementary school PTO. She needs to complete a draft of the story by Monday.
Thank you.
Going back about 15 – 20 years, my two kids attended Mason-Rice and my wife was an active PTO contributor. An important incentive was that the funds and benefits and programs were going to our local school where great attachment and spirit manifested among the families with kids going there.
By killing that spirited incentive for their own school, at least among some contributors, there LIKELY WILL BE A DROP in overall PTO contributions.
Sometimes the spirit of incentive and competition IS a good thing. Of course in the age of political correctness at the Newton Public Schools, there must be equality and no winners and losers, with no reward to those PTO’s perhaps working harder — even though less overall money is raised.
@Jim – if one school’s families are a great deal wealthier and have more money to donate, there will be disparities (as we’re seeing) no matter how caring and involved the parents at the school with poorer families are. You can’t give what you don’t have.
Perhaps it would make sense to have a revenue sharing program a la MLB, where a certain percent is kept by the school and the rest is shared. That way there would still be incentive to work to help your school without creating the great disparities we currently have, where the rich schools get richer and the poor get poorer.
Gail,
How bout your students writing on Meredith’s suggestion, above?
I suggest you post on the “Newton Parents” Facebook group. It will reach the people you are looking for very quickly.
I think it is fine if NPS wants to create a Central Fund where families can contribute directly if they choose but I don’t think it is right to take a % from each PTO. PTOs could certainly promote donating to this fund though and those schools with the highest need should benefit from this fund. In some PTO fundraising efforts such as auctions it takes an incredible amount of work to raise those funds. I also think part of Jim’s post is correct people give because they feel connected to their elementary school as that is one of the ways people first connect within this big community. Giving involves desire and means. Not every person who gives is wealthy and not every wealthy person gives. I’m not saying certain schools don’t struggle but there is some nuance. When schools raise money for technology equipment (FYI NPS owns any equipment that PTOs purchase) it free up NPS tech funds for use in those schools that need it. The City creates the standard but in the past they were unable to fund that standard. Like wise playgrounds are too expensive for the City to fund so they are outside of equity. There are also inequities related to the newer school building as certain technology etc (playgrounds) were included in those new buildings which don’t enter into equity discussions.
It has been an ongoing issue for years that people feel that PTOs should get out of funding technology but the problem is that without knowing how the City would make up for the PTO funds, certain schools were reluctant to pull out of funding technology. I would guess that there are similar feelings related to the recent equity cap changes (dropping the amt each PTO was able to fund per student) where parents expressed that it was bringing everyone down rather than trying to bring those in need up. The real problem is that the City doesn’t have the funds to fund what you expect out of the Newton School system.
Have the journalism students looked at the PTO websites? I believe each PTO has an email where they can directly email the PTO?
Also this weekend might be quieter at the PTOs since it is technically school vacation and they might be traveling or with family.