Comments on: What the PTA Spends

By: NaBloPoMo Wrap-Up « A Patchwork Life: writing, teaching, learning more each day

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:29:59 +0000

[...] back on the year’s posts, I saw some great ones, where I tackled an issue and presented my side, reviewed a book or movie that was important or interesting to me, or when I played around with [...]

By: Goals: Personal and Family Life « A Patchwork Life: writing, teaching, learning more each day

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:59:01 +0000

[...] school. This year, I want to continue all of those activities, but also renew my involvement with more PTA activities. I also want to remember to periodically bring in supplies for the classrooms, which completely [...]

By: Lone Star Ma

Lone Star Ma — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:19:07 +0000

It isn’t necessarily that they don’t have active PTAs – their active PTAs just can’t raise so much money because no one at the very poor schools have any money. Our PTA works hard, and are very helpful (They make a lot of copies for me! My husband’s middle class school district has staff to help teachers with that) but they will never be able to raise the money that the PTAs in middle class and wealthy schools raise. Also, in middle class and wealthy schools, a teacher can just do a good job teaching, contribute a little bit to supplies, etc. and go home and have a reasonable life with a family and all, as much as anyone can in our culture of work-work-work. In very poor schools, teachers are expected to be 24-7 saints and magicians who will solve the systemic problems of an underfunded education system by neglecting our own families and spending all of our time and money on our students. It really isn’t fair, and it won’t work. Systemic problems require systemic solutions. I do think pooling PTA monies sounds like a great idea – I am quite sure it doesn’t happen here.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:28:41 +0000

penguinunearthed, I wish that also. One of the projects our PTA does is to support (with fundraising and materials) the libraries of a few other public schools in our city that do not have the kind of active PTA we have. Our PTA has also been very active in recent protests and actions in our city to protest the inequities in funding and to advocate for all schoolchildren in our city to get a better education. I wish we could do more too.

A good example of these kinds of conflicts is the website DonorsChoose.org. There are a lot of public school teachers on that site with great ideas and enthusiasm for teaching, but it’s tragic to think that public begging is the only way some of their projects will ever make it off the ground.

By: penguinunearthed

penguinunearthed — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:26:12 +0000

I volunteer and fundraise for my kids school – and I’ll keep doing it! It makes a difference. But it still makes me feel guilty, because I suspect most of the schools in Sydney (Australia) need my time and money more. But I still give the time and money to my kids school.

So the socialist in me wants to reduce the amount of money my kids school gets from the government in recognition of the extra ability of the parent body to contribute. But the parent in me is very glad that not only can my kids go to a great school with great teachers, the parent body can afford to fundraise for an even better experience at the same time.

I certainly wouldn’t criticise any teacher or parent for contributing, but I do wish that the children in poor districts, who are fully entitled to a public education, could get the same level of support that my kids get.

By: jackie

jackie — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:24:10 +0000

Libby and Amy– our school does an “Affordable Auction” and that’s also one of the events I don’t participate in, because I know I would just be consumed with envy! But what’s up for auction is stuff donated from the community, not kid art, and I don’t feel any exclusion or pressure re: attendance. We also do a May festival that is like a neighborhood carnival.

For me, I rarely have fun in large crowded events– that’s why I prefer the smaller ways of contributing. I think community-building is one of the most important functions of the PTA, and it is truly sad that some groups are forgetting that aspect of their mission.

Anjali, thanks for the compliment . Cliques are such objects of terror for me, that it would break my heart to think of myself as belonging to one!

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:01:12 +0000

So many good comments above. Like others, I don’t want to see what my kids’ school would be like without the hard work the PTA puts into it, and I usually find that the other parents involved are welcoming to anyone who can help.

However, Libby’s experience with the expensive art auction is one we have here, too. The hard part is that they auction off the kids’ art, and so the kids really pressure parents to attend. The PTA also rewards classes for having 100% parent attendance at the auction, which means kids feel like they’re letting their classmates down if their parents can’t afford tickets. The end result is a lot of money for the school, but awkward and sometimes painful conversations about money with our kids.

By: Libby

Libby — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:14:12 +0000

I’ve been on both sides here, I think. The PTA at my kids’ elementary school was very active, very clique-ish, and very effective. They raised a lot of money and used it for good things, things that I wish taxes would fund but didn’t. This was a good school in a poor district, and the PTA is part of what keeps some wealthier (relatively) families involved, which is good for everyone.

But right now their biggest fundraiser is an art auction for which I can’t even really afford tickets. I have never gone, never bid on an item, never been involved. I hate it. And I’d guess that over half the parents at the school can’t find a way to be involved. The second biggest fundraiser is a community-wide festival, with bouncy castles and duck ponds, cheap food and a lower-rent silent auction. Over the years I’ve been part of that one many times, and I’m glad they still do it. But I fear that we’re moving towards just doing the big-ticket art auction, and I just don’t see that as community-building in the right way. So I’m torn.

(Maybe I’ll go check out the other posts/comments now; I’ve been skimming most of my feeds this week…)

By: Anjali

Anjali — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:53:35 +0000

I would bet my life that you would never be one of those cliquish PTA moms. Particularly in an urban school district. It’s just not you, Jackie.

Cliquish PTA moms are the sort that want volunteers but then make you feel like you’re not as cool as they are when you DO volunteer. Or that “you’re doing it wrong” — to borrow a line from the movie Mr. Mom.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:54:33 +0000

Loved this post, Jackie. It’s something that I’m probably going to want to talk more about in the next couple of years, as it’s looking more and more likely that we’re going to stay in Brooklyn and any future kids will be going to New York City public schools. I believe strongly in the system and in the PTA, but as of right now it’s more in theory than in practice.