Will they ever get rid of the principal at Ritchie Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am fine with the principal. I guess I haven't had an issue that really needed her attention. She is friendly, knows all the kids by name, always stops and thanks me personally for coming in to volunteer. I would hate to be in a position where parents are more against than for you. Unless there is an issue, you aren't dealing with her. If there is an issue, there is already a negative tone set. And then add that you can come on an anonymous forum and bash her when she can't defend herself. Have you all gone to her and say what the problem is? Have you talked to or written emails/letters with specific complaints and the info to back them up? Otherwise it just seems like a few riled up parents that didn't like what she did/said for one thing and your retort is to come here and cry foul.

Yes, I have done those things, and found her hostile, and unhelpful, and uncaring. She in only helpful to a chosen few parents and I guess you are one of them. More than that, she has singled out my child. I volunteer at the school all the time and she has never thanked me. Not once. And yes, when you have a problem, you have a problem, and she is supposed to help you. She doesn't. She does the exact opposite. She starts on the offensive.

Now the Boosterthon, that is a scam. I have to agree with the PP on that. To think that some lower income families are donating to that huge company thinking it is for the school? Makes my stomach turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Boosterthon people are taunting kids? Come on. There is 1 person on this thread who is on a Boosterthon jihad against the world. He or she routinely pops up to spout hateful rhetoric.

Not sure who that one parent is but I am at least 2. The ones that are for it have no idea more than 50% goes back to a company and not the school. If this is not meant to be hidden, why don't all the flyers and info show where the money goes? Because if it did, the numbers would plummet and the take from the Boosterthon is even higher since they work on a sliding scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Boosterthon people are taunting kids? Come on. There is 1 person on this thread who is on a Boosterthon jihad against the world. He or she routinely pops up to spout hateful rhetoric.

Not sure who that one parent is but I am at least 2. The ones that are for it have no idea more than 50% goes back to a company and not the school. If this is not meant to be hidden, why don't all the flyers and info show where the money goes? Because if it did, the numbers would plummet and the take from the Boosterthon is even higher since they work on a sliding scale.

Agreed.

If someone came up to you and said, "can you donate to a worthy cause, but half your money will go to a for-profit", most people would say no. This is why there are organizations that track how efficient non-profits are. When you hear that x non-profit organization only spends 50cents on the dollar for actual programs, and the rest are paid to, let's say, the executives, you probably wouldn't donate to that org. I certainly don't.

If people who support Boosterthon think it's so great, then they really should be honest about it to the people who are donating. If a donor gives money to a charity thinking that at least 90% goes to that organization but it doesn't, and you hide that fact from them, then it's a scam.

[Anonymous]

I think that Boosterthon is

a. a scam
b. nothing that belongs in school during school time

so that's at least 3 parents.

[Anonymous]

I do not love Boosterthon but know that it gets the kids exercising and raises a lot of money for the school. If you are against it, then don't participate or better yet, try to come up with other fundraisers that can can bring in $20-$30k for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not love Boosterthon but know that it gets the kids exercising and raises a lot of money for the school. If you are against it, then don't participate or better yet, try to come up with other fundraisers that can can bring in $20-$30k for the school.

If they're coming into the school and doing stuff during class time, how can you stop your child from participating, without keeping your child out of school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not love Boosterthon but know that it gets the kids exercising and raises a lot of money for the school. If you are against it, then don't participate or better yet, try to come up with other fundraisers that can can bring in $20-$30k for the school.

The reason why it raises so much is because half the parents and other donators don't realize that half their money is going to a for-profit. It's a scam.

Why don't they try a buy-nothing fund raiser and see how much that brings in?

And agree with PP - they take away class time for Boosterthon, so all kids are forced to participate to some degree.

If they want the kids to exercise more give them more outdoor recess.

[Anonymous]

What is the profit for other fundraising companies like gift wrap? Is booster-thon much more?

[Anonymous]

When you buy girl scout cookies the $$ that does to the troop is quite small...much less than 50%..and the council also gets a small amount. I think everyone knows that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you buy girl scout cookies the $$ that does to the troop is quite small...much less than 50%..and the council also gets a small amount. I think everyone knows that.

When you buy Girl Scout cookies, you get cookies, and the money goes to

a. the baker -- 25-35% of the local retail price
b. the local Girl Scout council
c. the Girl Scout troop/group

http://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/all-about-cookies/FAQs.html

When you pay money to Boosterthon, you get zippo, and the money goes to

a. Boosterthon
b. the PTA

There would be no cookies if there were not a baker. But there is fundraising without Boosterthon.

[Anonymous]

But boosterthon must provide something to the process or no one would bother to use them..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But boosterthon must provide something to the process or no one would bother to use them..

Yes, it does. It raises money. The question is whether the ends justify the means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the profit for other fundraising companies like gift wrap? Is booster-thon much more?

The difference between Boosterthon and all these other fundraisers is that at least you get something in return, and people generally know that the some of the proceeds goes to the company that is selling the product to the PTA. With Boosterthon, some if not most people (especially non parent donators) think that 100% of the donation is going to the school. That's called a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But boosterthon must provide something to the process or no one would bother to use them..

Yes, it does. It raises money. The question is whether the ends justify the means.

Exactly. You can have your own fun run with with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the school. It may not be so in your face and SELL SELL SELL so the final number will be lower. But you have to have volunteers for Boosterthon anyway. So why not just do and maybe even make less but at least you are not fill the pockets of a shady for-profit company with unknowing parent's money. And the other bonus is it doesn't take up any school time except for the actual run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But boosterthon must provide something to the process or no one would bother to use them..

Yes, it does. It raises money. The question is whether the ends justify the means.

Exactly. You can have your own fun run with with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the school. It may not be so in your face and SELL SELL SELL so the final number will be lower. But you have to have volunteers for Boosterthon anyway. So why not just do and maybe even make less but at least you are not fill the pockets of a shady for-profit company with unknowing parent's money. And the other bonus is it doesn't take up any school time except for the actual run.

It sounds like you are the perfect candidate to be the fundraising Vice President or to chair a fun run next year. Would you be interested in doing that?