PTA and Parent Association fees -- poll

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, Shepherd charged $50 a family dues, and it was pay to vote. The PTA then went to "everyone is automatically a member".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never voted on a PTA, but we would get requests for contributions each year, showing what the average per child expenditure was from parent fundraising. I happily paid the suggested donation, and more, as I know it was a fraction of what I had paid each WEEK for preschool.

I don't generally agree with paying dues to vote, but then there ARE ballots to be printed, and counted, and someone has to pay for the website on which the internet votes are recorded...

Can't they run a fundraiser (bake sale) to pay for this? I have no problem with contributing to the PA but asking me to pay to vote leaves a bad taste and makes me not want to have anything to do with them at all and that includes writing checks.

[Anonymous]

At Yu Ying they must print the ballots on crisp $20 bills.

[Anonymous]

Looks like Yu Ying is the only school, DCPS or charter, which requires a mandatory $100 payment from parents to vote in the PA. Gotta luv 'em!

Another Yu Ying infected thread...

[Anonymous]

At YY, it's $100 per child, not per family. Outrageous? I don't think it's as bad as it sounds; it's not $100/child going to the PA's fund. Instead, it's the $100/child school supplies "donation" that the school asks for (YY has a lot of added school supplies because of the Chinese). The school cannot make the supply fee mandatory, so the PA asks for donations and then buys the supplies for the school. If you've donated, you get the vote.

The nice thing is, YY families don't receive a list of supplies that must be bought before school starts. I much prefer to write a check that covers both supplies and PA dues than to take a list and go out to different stores to buy supplies on my own.

And, it's greener- the school can buy in bulk, there's less packaging, less parents on the road out hunting for the perfect-sized notebook.

All that being said, I'd love to see a fund created for free-reduced lunch students to help subsidize their families' fees. I wouldn't mind giving an extra $10-20 to know that the school has what is needed to start the year off and to know that these families have a fair representation in the PA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never voted on a PTA, but we would get requests for contributions each year, showing what the average per child expenditure was from parent fundraising. I happily paid the suggested donation, and more, as I know it was a fraction of what I had paid each WEEK for preschool.

I don't generally agree with paying dues to vote, but then there ARE ballots to be printed, and counted, and someone has to pay for the website on which the internet votes are recorded...

Can't they run a fundraiser (bake sale) to pay for this? I have no problem with contributing to the PA but asking me to pay to vote leaves a bad taste and makes me not want to have anything to do with them at all and that includes writing checks.

one view is that usually the PTA is voting on leadership, ie, people to oversee the budgeting out of the funds raised...if you haven't contributed any funds, why do you get to vote on the distribution of those funds ? Being on the PTA or not being on the PTA doesn't affect your ability to have your child in school, or to participate in helping the school...

[Anonymous]

No, $100 per child is the pay for voting in the PA. It goes to the PA which is getting it's own non-profit association status separate from the school. The PA donated all the new playground equipment from these fees and fundraisers so they are broke and need more funds.

The other $100? (it's more than that, I don't recall but $140? per child) is the school materials fees that parents pay to the school at the beginning of the year for materials. I don't think if it's the PA who gets the money and buys the materials but I could be wrong. Paying the school materials fee will not get you a vote in the PA. You have to pay the $100 poll tax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never voted on a PTA, but we would get requests for contributions each year, showing what the average per child expenditure was from parent fundraising. I happily paid the suggested donation, and more, as I know it was a fraction of what I had paid each WEEK for preschool.

I don't generally agree with paying dues to vote, but then there ARE ballots to be printed, and counted, and someone has to pay for the website on which the internet votes are recorded...

Can't they run a fundraiser (bake sale) to pay for this? I have no problem with contributing to the PA but asking me to pay to vote leaves a bad taste and makes me not want to have anything to do with them at all and that includes writing checks.

one view is that usually the PTA is voting on leadership, ie, people to oversee the budgeting out of the funds raised...if you haven't contributed any funds, why do you get to vote on the distribution of those funds ? Being on the PTA or not being on the PTA doesn't affect your ability to have your child in school, or to participate in helping the school...

True. So why not only have $100 per child to be a member of the PA instead of having everyone automatically become a PA member and creating a two tier system, those who can vote/pay and no vote/no pay. With a paid membership you only have people who are interested in having a say on how money is spent.

[Anonymous]

Anon 12:58: This school year, you can vote if you've turned in your supply donation.

For future years, I checked the bylaws and they read, "Annual dues will be set each year in an amount intended to cover the Association's basic operating expenses plus each student's supply fee." It may go up next year, I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, $100 per child is the pay for voting in the PA. It goes to the PA which is getting it's own non-profit association status separate from the school. The PA donated all the new playground equipment from these fees and fundraisers so they are broke and need more funds.

The other $100? (it's more than that, I don't recall but $140? per child) is the school materials fees that parents pay to the school at the beginning of the year for materials. I don't think if it's the PA who gets the money and buys the materials but I could be wrong. Paying the school materials fee will not get you a vote in the PA. You have to pay the $100 poll tax.

There's no conspiracy, much less a "poll tax." The new PA dues are the old school supply fee. The school can't ask for supplies, but as an independent organization, the PA can. That's all there is to it.

[Anonymous]

The money only for the supply fee so that the school is able to still collect it. the whole amount will go to them for that. why would anyone be opposed to that? I really don't get it.

[Anonymous]

13:52 me neither.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anon 12:58: This school year, you can vote if you've turned in your supply donation.

For future years, I checked the bylaws and they read, "Annual dues will be set each year in an amount intended to cover the Association's basic operating expenses plus each student's supply fee." It may go up next year, I don't know.

Thanks It wasn't clear from the email but I only skimmed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, $100 per child is the pay for voting in the PA. It goes to the PA which is getting it's own non-profit association status separate from the school. The PA donated all the new playground equipment from these fees and fundraisers so they are broke and need more funds.

The other $100? (it's more than that, I don't recall but $140? per child) is the school materials fees that parents pay to the school at the beginning of the year for materials. I don't think if it's the PA who gets the money and buys the materials but I could be wrong. Paying the school materials fee will not get you a vote in the PA. You have to pay the $100 poll tax.

NP here. No, the school supply fee at the beginning of the year is $100 per child. There is a reduction for FARMS. The reason I no this is because I offered to pay additional for any family thT could not, and was told that it was covered in the $100 if all the non-FAARMS pony up. Later, the PTA sent an email out stating that only parents who were in good standing with the supply fee had PA voting privileges. Individuals could continue to participate in the PA, but they were non-voting members.

The $100 covered book bags, scissors, paper, art supplies, paint, books, Chinese materials, rulers, crayons, etc. I was happy to pony up, and it is tax deductible. It would be nice for people who are ready to bash YY to know the facts before flapping crap. I have often said, YY has it's issues (can anyone on this board name a school that does not), but darn you don't have to make up facts to get your digs in. Stick with the truth, and you might have some credibility.

[Anonymous]

excellent response!! Parents do not have to buy ANY supplies at the beginning of the year, and the $100 fee covers everything. What's sad is that a lot of parents won't/don't pay---and I'm not talking FARMS parents!! So why should you have a vote if you can't even be bothered to buy your kid school supplies????