Thanks for all the encouraging words - I so needed them.
A charter school falls under the public school umbrella, so there is no tuition. But there is a charter on how the school is run - much like a private school.
NM laws are such that the way to get into a charter is through lottery, so people basically have to want to go to the school to get in the lottery. It's a choice to put your name in the lottery.
Anyway, it's nice to vent here and not say the wrong thing to someone at the school.
I can't tell you how much this place has done for me.
OH FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE! How could anyone chew her out when you (and we, too, for that matter) have so much trouble getting willing hands? When word gets out about how she was treated, it will be even tougher to find help! As a fellow anxiety suffer, I know the battle she has just to handle life, let alone of bunch of people yelling at her for doing her best. Maybe she would still be willing to be involved if she had a smaller, less responsibility-laden task. I know that worked for me when I started being active (I'm co-chair now). Making meals for families with newborns or those who'd lost someone dear allowed me to feel involved without feeling overwhelmed.
We've had a lot of luck getting people involved by rethinking the model of our PTA. (By the way, we are a really small school--around 100 students.) We realized that we didn't have a lot of meeting attenders, but we did have a lot of people who were willing to help with pretty close to anything you asked. So, we divided our efforts into four main categories (family care, teacher care, building spruce ups, and library care)and found a team leader for each. Each of the team leaders rounded up 5 or so people to be on her team and got their input on what they'd like to accomplish in the coming school year. While everyone is more than welcome to attend the PTA meetings, the only ones we really lean on are the team leaders, who bring ideas from their team members. So far, it's working well. And although we try everything in the book to get more people at our meetings, we're not depending on it.
Hang in there, heartbroken! If this were easy, everyone would be doing it!
My understanding of a charter school is that parents do not pay tuition and they are public schools. The government pays the charter school the same per pupil price for each student that they would pay a public school.
I am not exactly sure what a charter school is, does the parents have to pay tution?
Beginings are sooooo frustrating, immature and ignorant people do not help. Perhaps if you put a sign up that says, "WE CANNOT GIVE YOU ANY CLOTHES IF WE HAVE NONE TO GIVE." Think that may help? Probably not.
I don't know if this would help but perhaps you could try some Goodwill or thrift stores. Maybe some of you have some stuff you could trade for your uniform type clothes. Then when the griping parents come to get their handout (I figure those acting so ugly are the ones who aren't lifting a finger to help do anything) you can tell them to stick it up their :eek: . You get my drift. I realize there are people that have hard luck, I may even need those services some day and I am not knocking that. I am talking about the few types that will sit back and do nothing but gripe. That's part of life, we have to look over that type, I hate it that your nice volunteer took it so hard.
We are just starting our 2nd year as a school. Starting our PTO officially this year. It has been a LOT of work. The board is exhausted, we need more hands.
Long story short we are slowing getting the hands - I know that is probably normal getting started.
Anyway, I just talked to a parent who had taken on a used clothing bank - we wear uniforms. She is wonderful and bubbly - we were very excited.
Being that we are just starting, we are just collecting clothes - you can't swap unless you have something to swap. So we have asked parents who are willing to donate to just donate right for now. If there are people who want to swap we give them a receipt to bring to our first swap.
So, the person who was chairing has already step down. Seems as though that she has problems w/ anxiety and she has been chewed out for not having the clothing bank ready now.
I don't blame her for stepping down. She has been having so many people upset at her, that she gets sick every time she comes to the school - which is 2x's a day to pick up and drop off.
This is ritorical, but why do people have to be so grumpy.
It will take several years before kinks are work out in a new school - in any school. Give things a chance. Why chew someone out for not having a clothing bank when there are no clothes?
I have such a passion to make this school great. There are many of us that do. My main concerns are "Are my children learning and are they safe? Are they thriving and growing the way children do?" Not clothing - And we're free lunchers - uniforms hurt the budget - but we chose the school (charter). We could choose a school that doesn't have uniforms so could they!
I'm sorry it's Friday I needed someone to vent to.
I wish people would see a need and help, instead of complain & that they wouldn't make it so difficult for those who are volunteering. It's heartbreaking!
