We have 15 schools in our district. All but 3 are in low income areas (Title 1 schools). We went in to the school board meeting and showed them (in writing and with actual product) what we have helped the schools get. We told them without the fundraising we would not be able to help our students. We also had other parents there who actually had kids who benefitted from these products and/or programs. We had others write letters. We all went in agreeing if they quit the fundrasing we will all quit volunteering and see what happens. I'm just so glad we did not have to go that route, because I really do enjoy working in the school. I also told them that I have personally attended some of the field trips as a chaperone (when my kids were there). We went to places like IMAX theater, zoo, etc. It was educational for me as well so I could tell them first hand about the many cool reactions the kids had at places we've gone. It's amazing how the kids get some much information in a field trip. The discussion went into overtime as we heard from the parents. They said we could keep our fundraisers as long as we committed to one fundraiser to help the community (Red Cross and the like) per school year. We also had to agree that we give full written report to the district at the end of each semester. As long as we show that we are not just wasting money in areas not approved by the district (ex: use it on Literacy rather than a luncheon for teachers) and we follow through with our reports and community commitment we will keep the fundraising. If we fail, we will lose it. I've got two people on committees just for the reports and one person working on our community efforts. We all win!

Congratulations! What was the real story, and what was the solution? We all deal with the vague "They're going to... (whatever)", often without clear foundation.

I think eplaining how you worked through the problem and negotiated a solution would be informative. Sounds like you had some good backup plans, too.

Good luck!

Great News! We won! We can do our fundraisers with a few stipulations that we can work with! Only problem is that we start school today and no contracts are signed so we'll be doing this in a hurry. Fortunately we agreed on which fundraisers in advance so if we did win we'd just have to call the companies for the contracts. Short notice, but good for us!

Enjoy your day!

Our superintendant is doing the same to us. He will not allow fundraisers unless we join the Education Foundation in our district. It could be a thing for us to join but so many egos, it's only going to hurt our students because most of our group would prefer to disband rather than be umbrellaed (spelling) to cover money being misused. There are lots of volunteer opportunities, but as was stated there are lots of things that economically children can't do. Getting kids to read can be a task, and if there is not an "incentive" for it, many simply will not do it. Unfortunately, many of our parents will fight you on the fact that reading is fundamental. Forget snack days, classroom computers, software programs, field trips (educational or fun).

Make sure you have the facts. Contact the district and request minutes of the last two meetings. They will be required to provide them to you, although they may impose a reasonable fee for copying costs. (I doubt you'll find yourself fighting with the board over access to the minutes, but know your rights.) Find out what the official minutes say about this. Talk to people who were there, and try contacting your representative on the board to ask them about it.

I know that I've heard more than once that "they are trying to do...". It could be that the board is concerned about specific types of fundraisers, or limiting the number of fundraisers, or use of the facilities by non-school groups for their fundraisers. It could be that one member of the board has mentioned elimination of fundraisers during discussion of other topics, and there is no serious proposal. It could be that one member of the board has commented that "it would be nice if we didn't have to have fundraisers", during discussions of budget cuts, meaning "it would be nice if the school district had all the money it needed to do whatever was needed." It could be that a parent or patron has been coming to the board meetings and using the public comment period to request an end to fundraising, and maybe even that a board member said something like "we'll take your concerns under advisement." There are a lot of ways things can be misinterpreted.

Or it could be that somebody has the idea that you eliminate fundraisers, watch the reaction to the program eliminations that requires, and then propose a tax increase when patrons seem willing to do ANYTHING to improve their schools. It is similar to the stories of states that generate the willingness to liberalize liqour laws by strictly enforcing the existing dry laws.

So get your facts, get to that next board meeting, and let us know how it turns out.

[ 04-30-2003: Message edited by: KC Swan ]</p>

Fundraising is a key tool that PTO's use to provide extras for the school. But you don't want to fall into the trap of making your group synonymous with money raising. There is a lot more that a parent group has to offer.

Regarding your current dilemma, I’d suggest you start communicating with those that make the decisions try for some definitions and compromises. Not everything that involves money is a fundraiser. Many activities have some fees simply to cover their costs so they can serve whatever purpose intended. You don’t want these types of things banned. As far as compromises, maybe they would be willing to limit the number of fundraisers rather than eliminate them altogether. Our school (not just PTO – school) can have two fundraisers per year. What the district means by “fundraiser” is a major sales activity where the kids are selling an item to raise funds for the school or PTO. In our district, Bookfair, Spring Carnival, T-Shirts, Family Nights, Community Garage Sales, etc. don’t count as one of the two fundraisers allowed.

Worst case, if fundraisers are banned or limited, what’s left for you to do? Lots! Think about all the things PTO can offer to the school:

Coordinate volunteers for special events
Organize school spirit activities
Pursue grants for teachers and staff
Recruit speakers for classes and assemblies
Publish a school directory
Welcome new families
Assist with safety programs
Serve on strategic planning groups
Coordinate Teacher Appreciation activities
Research educational issues
Solicit donations of funds, materials, in-kind services
Increase community awareness of school and school programs
Support after school programs
Organize seasonal or cultural events
Host family activities

This is just a partial list, there’s a never- ending need for all kinds of help and services around the school. Think about everything you do beside “buying things for the school”. You’ll probably realize how much real value your group adds beyond fundraising.

Keep us posted as to the progress of your situation. Good luck!