How much does it cost to join your PTA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$40 for a Bethesda-area elementary school - at least that was the cost last year.
That's just for joining the PTA and getting a directory (useful for playdates and birthday parties).

I went on a crusade a few years ago to decrease the cost, but was told it was practically nothing.
So I joined the board and realized that indeed, there are families who donate thousands of dollars to the PTA!

And I also found out that the PTA uses the funds it raises for very worthy causes: it pays for before or after-school remediation, it pays for after-school classes and school field trips for underprivileged students who can't afford it, it pays for electronics replacements in all classrooms (laptops, Prometheum boards, etc, so that the school doesn't have to wait years for MCPS to replace them). It pays for extra school supplies and books for every teacher. It pays for artists and scientists to come in and provide cultural arts and STEM enrichment activities (very expensive!). It pays for Kindergarten orientation, the school fair, contributes to replacing playground equipment and toys, Teacher Appreciation Week, and the teacher training that MCPS has cut because of budget cuts (substitutes' salary and teacher training material), which ensures that teachers stay on top of their game.

All that can't be bought for $40 per family. We're talking 50K annual PTA budgets in the Bethesda-area schools. In a very real way, this is what differentiates rich districts from poorer districts.

We do all this and more in a non-Bethesda school. Annual budget is 7 K. Our parents donate for each activity - teacher's appreciation week, school trips, STEM etc. if they want too. The parents pitch in for other parents if they can't afford something.

The difference is that our PTA does not outsource every single thing. So, we are paying the cost price only. Bethesda schools pays for the vendors and middle man. They outsource because that is what they are used to. They throw money at the problem. In our school parents pay for their students and donate for events they think is worthwhile. That is why our children are not entitled brats and our school and PTA works together in tandem. This is what differentiate high achieving students vs, affluneza students.

If your annual budget is 7K, you have NO IDEA what you are missing.
I'm in charge of the budget, I can tell you there is no comparison between the enrichment/teacher training/stuff you can buy at 50K versus 7K.
We outsource as little as we can, and won an award from MCPS for most volunteer hours last year, but even if we flushed half our funds down the toilet, there would still be no comparison!
Come on, PP. You know better than that.

[Anonymous]

Isn't there a Chevy Chase elementary school that is funding their own artificial turf playground?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just moved to Bethesda and I volunteered to do membership for the PTA at my child's new school.

I'm having a hard time getting information because all the people are new this year. I don't understand why we charge $60 for a PTA membership, then ask for another $60 for a donation on top of that. I've been involved with the PTA in my child's other school but we never asked for that much money.

Is that usual for this area. I'm embarrassed to put my name to anything that asks for this much money. Maybe it's just done that way here...

Really? You can afford that? I bet you have the new iPhone. I would hope people spend at least a few hundred a year on the pta.

NP. That's really not the point. Perhaps OP moved from a place where PTA didn't charge this much so she's surprised at the cost. Get out of your bubble PP.

-- signed a west coast transplant where the school district was asking for $1000/child/year

Schools can ask for whatever they want. It is still a voluntary donation so give what you can afford.

[Anonymous]

I think it's $20 or $25.

Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Our memberships are $45-$200. I gladly pay the higher fee bc our PTA does a TON of great things for our school.

We are in Potomac and (like Bethesda), I'm guessing the vast majority of the parents can afford these fees. I think how reasonable the fee is depends on what the majority of the parent population at your school can afford.

[Anonymous]

Ours is $20, but they advertise that families can give what they want if 20 is too much. I know families a gift for more than 20 and I don't families to give nothing.

[Anonymous]

I think it's $10. Centreville. Our PTA does a lot of free activities too.

[Anonymous]

$15 per person. They strongly encourage both parents to join (so $30 total) but I only join in order to get the directory.

[Anonymous]

15pp or 20 family

[Anonymous]

$50. They do a ton of fundraising in one big event each fall. Their budget is 38,000 (last year anyway). Goal is to raise more this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$40 for a Bethesda-area elementary school - at least that was the cost last year.
That's just for joining the PTA and getting a directory (useful for playdates and birthday parties).

I went on a crusade a few years ago to decrease the cost, but was told it was practically nothing.
So I joined the board and realized that indeed, there are families who donate thousands of dollars to the PTA!

And I also found out that the PTA uses the funds it raises for very worthy causes: it pays for before or after-school remediation, it pays for after-school classes and school field trips for underprivileged students who can't afford it, it pays for electronics replacements in all classrooms (laptops, Prometheum boards, etc, so that the school doesn't have to wait years for MCPS to replace them). It pays for extra school supplies and books for every teacher. It pays for artists and scientists to come in and provide cultural arts and STEM enrichment activities (very expensive!). It pays for Kindergarten orientation, the school fair, contributes to replacing playground equipment and toys, Teacher Appreciation Week, and the teacher training that MCPS has cut because of budget cuts (substitutes' salary and teacher training material), which ensures that teachers stay on top of their game.

All that can't be bought for $40 per family. We're talking 50K annual PTA budgets in the Bethesda-area schools. In a very real way, this is what differentiates rich districts from poorer districts.

We do all this and more in a non-Bethesda school. Annual budget is 7 K. Our parents donate for each activity - teacher's appreciation week, school trips, STEM etc. if they want too. The parents pitch in for other parents if they can't afford something.

The difference is that our PTA does not outsource every single thing. So, we are paying the cost price only. Bethesda schools pays for the vendors and middle man. They outsource because that is what they are used to. They throw money at the problem. In our school parents pay for their students and donate for events they think is worthwhile. That is why our children are not entitled brats and our school and PTA works together in tandem. This is what differentiate high achieving students vs, affluneza students.

Sheesh, thats rude and unhelpful. I am in RM cluster ES and ours is $20 per person. I shell out $40 for me and DH and than end up giving extra $ in supplies, time, food etc. for all the dinky extras. I would rather pay more to PTA to cover cost of everything.

[Anonymous]

Quit paying PTA dues when one officious PTA mom at a Bethesda-area school told me my child (a special ed kid at the school for a special Ed program not available at our home school) didn't really "belong" there since we didn't live in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

OMG pp!

[Anonymous]

$40. That covers a family. It includes two parents and their 3+ kids. A single parent with one child would have to pay $40. I can join for $10 as a staff member, but only during the first month of school. After that, I have to pay $40. And that isn't pro-rated for families joining in April either.
I joined one year and was immediately inundated with aggressive requests for donations. I explained that I was a teacher there, a divorced mom of two, and we hadn't even received a paycheck yet. The caller said that the PTA would "take care" of me all year long if I donated then. I have no idea what that meant, but I couldn't spare another cent anyway.

Honestly, I wish the dues were a flat $5 a person.

[Anonymous]

$75. Funds a $40K budget that covers childcare during PTA and other adult night meetings, covers all the parties (back to school night, fall festival, a dance in winter, spring festival) and, most importantly, over 20K goes to teacher trainings and classroom supplies.

I'd happily pay more. Potomac.