Can someone explain why teen kids need to fundraise $1,000 for a public school sport?

[Anonymous]

Is this strange? We've been hit up by two nieces with digital campaign links to cover some sort of expenses required for a sport played at their public school. Their public schools are well-funded UMC districts and their parents are UMC working professionals. Why does each student-athlete teen apparently need to raise upwards of $1,000? We never had to do this for our kids. Is the school making kids do this or is this something the parents are doing to freeload off others to pay for normal high school athletic expenses? I'm confused. I recall once selling candy door to door in the early 90s for a TRAVEL sport but I've never heard of an somewhat affluent suburban public school not fully funding an athletic program. Of course we still gave them each $50 because we don't want to look like the cheap aunt and uncle but I find this really tacky. Especially when we were texted the link and told so and so family already donated, hint hint.

[Anonymous]

You sound lovely.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone has the money and your hate to see kids not be able to be on the team because their families can’t afford it. And not every kid will hit the fundraising goal. So they aren’t getting $1k for every kid.

[Anonymous]

Districts don't fully fund sports. Even FCPS high schools have booster clubs to make up the difference

[Anonymous]

That's a lot. DC's team also in a MC area has asked each student to raise $200 which I think would go to some kind of facilities improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a lot. DC's team also in a MC area has asked each student to raise $200 which I think would go to some kind of facilities improvement.

I think 1,000 is a lot of money, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Districts don't fully fund sports. Even FCPS high schools have booster clubs to make up the difference

Can you please define why you mean by this. I really have no idea. Where exactly is the booster money going? What happens if they didn’t raise the money? This sounds like extras, like it goes towards an end of season party and personalized gear? I can’t imagine a season being cancelled because the soccer or swim team didn’t raise enough money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sound lovely.

Tacky is tacky. And some people apparently just have no shame. I’d be mortified to ask family and friends to give me money for normal teen expenses. Buy your own damn monogrammed bags and jacket and do the banquet at the Olive Garden if you can’t afford an upscale setting.

[Anonymous]

The whole sports world for kids in the US is completely messed up.


So I agree with you, OP.

[Anonymous]

School funding for extra curricular has been cut significantly in the past decade. Some won’t even replace uniforms if some are lost and there is no longer a full set. Buses are terribly expensive right how. If a team wants to do things like play out of conference schools (like a scrimmage against a private school), the team will have to pay for the bus and possibly also the ref. It can add up very quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Districts don't fully fund sports. Even FCPS high schools have booster clubs to make up the difference

Can you please define why you mean by this. I really have no idea. Where exactly is the booster money going? What happens if they didn’t raise the money? This sounds like extras, like it goes towards an end of season party and personalized gear? I can’t imagine a season being cancelled because the soccer or swim team didn’t raise enough money.

Uniforms and equipment are the biggest expenses for our school's lacrosse team

[Anonymous]

Extremely tacky. I never contribute to sports funds.

[Anonymous]

What sport OP? Is it rowing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound lovely.

Tacky is tacky. And some people apparently just have no shame. I’d be mortified to ask family and friends to give me money for normal teen expenses. Buy your own damn monogrammed bags and jacket and do the banquet at the Olive Garden if you can’t afford an upscale setting.

We just got a fundraising email from a nephew who literally never talks to us, and whose parents make plenty of money. I'm sure we'll give something - but, jeez. It's weird. It's not like selling cookies to your neighbors - at least they get the cookies out of it. This is literally just asking us to pay for his activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Districts don't fully fund sports. Even FCPS high schools have booster clubs to make up the difference

Can you please define why you mean by this. I really have no idea. Where exactly is the booster money going? What happens if they didn’t raise the money? This sounds like extras, like it goes towards an end of season party and personalized gear? I can’t imagine a season being cancelled because the soccer or swim team didn’t raise enough money.

Uniforms and equipment are the biggest expenses for our school's lacrosse team

If a school is rich enough to have a lacrosse team, let them budget for uniforms, for pete's sake.