<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by mmunsey: My name is Margie Munsey, 2000-2001 past PTO president and school board member this year.
I have been assigned, by our principle, a job of head of a committee to find out if mandatory volunteering is acceptable OR CAN WE TELL FOLKS THEY HAVE TO VOLUNTEER. HOW MUCH CAN WE REQUIRE OF OUR PARENTS? We rely on volunteering from our parents to provide a special family environment, run various programs, help provide successful educational opportunity AND YES FOR FUNDRAISING - We generally put in our budget each year that the PTO will bring in at least $50,000. It has been our foundation. We have prided ourselves on that reputation and interestingly enough, it ranks high as to the reason parents choose our school. It remains our foundation - parental involvement in strengthing ties with each other.. Recently, with our busy lives, it is becoming more difficult to attract volunteers, although everyone loves the outcome. We rely on the same dozen volunteers over and over... Are other Catholic schools offering incentive to volunteering? (Such as lower tuition in exchange for service - I have heard of this, but our tuition is now at a minimal- to allow anyone who wants to come the opportunity - there is financial assistance, as well.HOW CAN CATHOLOC SCHOOLS AFFORD THIS?)
Are parents insulted - as some of ours seem to be lately, when asked to volunteer?
Some have said they would rather raise the tuition than fundraise. This defeats our purpose and would make us an elite school where if you have the money, you can attend. Again, what has made us so speial in the past is our diviserity, putting us all on equal grounds.
Is mandatory volunteering acceptable or can it be made into a bylaw? What are other CATHOLIC schools doing? Have you heard of "script" Someone suggested this method.
PLEASE help. I would desperately need the names and areas of school using these methods. (AND FROM PREVIOUS RESPONDERS) This is basically research I will have to present to schoolboard.
[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: mmunsey ]
[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: mmunsey ]DESPERATELY NEED FEEDBACK FOR RESEARCH
Our Catholic School requires that parents either volunteer for 2 events, agree to chair one event or pay $100.00. I'm not sure how it is enforced. We enjoy a very active volunteer base so we don't really have a problem getting volunteers. We also offer the opportunity to donate goods/services or cash rather than volunteering and that seems to work out also.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by mmunsey: My name is Margie Munsey, 2000-2001 past PTO president and school board member this year.
I have been assigned, by our principle, a job of head of a committee to find out if mandatory volunteering is acceptable OR CAN WE TELL FOLKS THEY HAVE TO VOLUNTEER. HOW MUCH CAN WE REQUIRE OF OUR PARENTS? We rely on volunteering from our parents to provide a special family environment, run various programs, help provide successful educational opportunity AND YES FOR FUNDRAISING - We generally put in our budget each year that the PTO will bring in at least $50,000. It has been our foundation. We have prided ourselves on that reputation and interestingly enough, it ranks high as to the reason parents choose our school. It remains our foundation - parental involvement in strengthing ties with each other.. Recently, with our busy lives, it is becoming more difficult to attract volunteers, although everyone loves the outcome. We rely on the same dozen volunteers over and over... Are other Catholic schools offering incentive to volunteering? (Such as lower tuition in exchange for service - I have heard of this, but our tuition is now at a minimal- to allow anyone who wants to come the opportunity - there is financial assistance, as well.HOW CAN CATHOLOC SCHOOLS AFFORD THIS?)
Are parents insulted - as some of ours seem to be lately, when asked to volunteer?
Some have said they would rather raise the tuition than fundraise. This defeats our purpose and would make us an elite school where if you have the money, you can attend. Again, what has made us so speial in the past is our diviserity, putting us all on equal grounds.
Is mandatory volunteering acceptable or can it be made into a bylaw? What are other CATHOLIC schools doing? Have you heard of "script" Someone suggested this method.
PLEASE help. I would desperately need the names and areas of school using these methods. (AND FROM PREVIOUS RESPONDERS) This is basically research I will have to present to schoolboard.
[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: mmunsey ]
[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: mmunsey ]DESPERATELY NEED FEEDBACK FOR RESEARCH
As a parent involved in a Charter School we are ASKED to sign an agreement of sorts to volunteer but we are not required in anyway. I did just talk to a parent interested in our school and she had heard just the oppisite that we do require hours. Now some charter schools DO require their parents to volunteer, our school didn't like that policy. Many of our parents are more overwhelmed when asked to volunteer than insulted. Many love the school and wish there was more they could do to help out. I tend to offer ideas that allow they to lend a hand without having to take off time etc. We have more of an issue right now with parental involment in out PTO, well the sheer lack of mainly. That's another post.
There are a few public schools in our area that have some sort of mandatory participation in the original agreement when you register your child. I don't know what official recourse there is if that committment is not met. The participation can be in many forms, either on campus or off, or through scrip purchases. Also there are many private schools that sell scrip and offer TRIP (Tuition Reduction Incentive Program) to their families. Not sure how they are set up. There is a required amount of scrip that is asked to be purchased, and then after that amount has been reached, the school shares the profit amount with the family in the way of a tuition reduction. Since all the profit from scrip comes from local businesses, there is no out of pocket expense for the families. Most families will participate when it helps the school, but many more are encouraged when it helps their own pockets also. Look on this sitte for other articles about scrip and past postings about TRIP. Good Luck.
At our K-8 school, parents are required to give 20 hours of service. For any unfilled hours there is a $5 charge for each hour. There are only a few who pay the money. There is a variety of things one can do to get your hours filled. The hours are earned from April to March. This is when we start to register for the next school year and that all needs to be taken care of before you can reregister.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Mandatory volunteering? Isn't that an oxymoron? I don't think you can actually require someone to volunteer.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
There was court case a few years ago about this very subject. A school district that required students to complete a certain number of volunteer hours to receive a diploma. A student sued, saying that if they were a requirement then they weren't volunteer. The courts agreed, and the district was to forced to change the rules to require students to complete a certain number of community service hours.
As for the original question -- sure, if you are a private institution, there is nothing to prevent you from requiring a certain number of service hours. It becomes a requirement of membership. I just wouldn't call them volunteer hours.
Just be sure to think about the case of the family that really cannot afford the time (the case I'm thinking of as I type is a family with a severely handicapped child in the home). Perhaps put in place procedures to waive the requirement. Or institute an "hours bank", where those who can do more are able to bank hours for the benefit of others.
