"student support fees" in upper NW DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't like how the money is being used get involved with the HSAs and try to make a difference. Don't just withhold money and complain about it while your children benefit.

I think it's funny how you say, "get involved in the HSA (which i assume is the PTA?")
At the west of the park DCPS, getting on the DCPS is very competitive.
People run for office, submit extensive bios detailing their qualifications. There are always multiple candidates per spot.

They usually go something like this:
"I have 4 children in the school and over my 10 years of serving the school community I've chaired numerous school wide committees (listed here) has well as serving as a room parent 17 times. I currently work for (XXX major educational materials company) doing curriculum development.
Prior to that I was the deputy undersecretary for education education in the XX administration. I started my career with 10 years in the classroom. Please vote for me for PTA secretary".

And then they pass out cupcakes and buttons that say "Pick Flick!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't like how the money is being used get involved with the HSAs and try to make a difference. Don't just withhold money and complain about it while your children benefit.

I think it's funny how you say, "get involved in the HSA (which i assume is the PTA?")
At the west of the park DCPS, getting on the DCPS is very competitive.
People run for office, submit extensive bios detailing their qualifications. There are always multiple candidates per spot.

They usually go something like this:
"I have 4 children in the school and over my 10 years of serving the school community I've chaired numerous school wide committees (listed here) has well as serving as a room parent 17 times. I currently work for (XXX major educational materials company) doing curriculum development.
Prior to that I was the deputy undersecretary for education education in the XX administration. I started my career with 10 years in the classroom. Please vote for me for PTA secretary".

I'd vote for that person! Better her than me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're welcome to donate to our EOTP school. The Title 1 funds cover additional mental health type positions (school counselor, psychologist, etc.), but don't do much for enrichment. Extra $$ would be great for field trips, aftercare enrichment, and more.

Seconding this. We have several social workers and counselors, but only one teacher each for Spanish, music, and art for the entire Pk3-8th grade education campus.

And our entire PTA budget is $1200. Hoping to change that next year but it's going to have to come from the surrounding community, not enrolled families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IMO, Families of kids in older grades don't give for several reasons:

They are sick of being asked
They are looking forward to the next school
Their kids won't benefit from the donation
They have hard feelings about bad things that have happened along the way or disagree with principal
They see the warts of the school much clearer than fresh parents (much like after you leave a school and realize it wasn't as great as you thought)
They just don't care as much anymore - newness wears off


I'm not opining on whether it's right or wrong but I'm speaking from my experience as a former PTA president.

+1 -- at our WOTP school, the aides are in the younger grades, which is what a large % of the PTA/support fees go toward, and some parents are less inclined to 'pay it backward' (both via support fees and in auction donations), the 5th grade parents have already mentally moved on, and there's the large 4th grade peel off (some starting in 3rd), where those families have changed their focus into their private school applications -- and the amounts they'll be paying in tuition and auctions etc at those schools!

[Anonymous]

Janney parent here. I see the support fee as a mini-tuition to provide some perks for my local community. I do not try to compare this to our family's other charitable giving.

We all make different choices in life, OP. I could argue that, if you want to live a life of charity, you shouldn't live in 20016 and should instead live in a small apartment and give away most of your wealth. That would allow you to donate another $50K per year. You could also quit your high-paying job and volunteer your time.

OP, you haven't made either of these choices. You have instead chosen to make a stand on the student support fee. Congratulations! That additional $500 that you may or may not give to charity is going to make a real difference!

[Anonymous]

My preference is to donate to world health charities. Biggest bang for the buck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're welcome to donate to our EOTP school. The Title 1 funds cover additional mental health type positions (school counselor, psychologist, etc.), but don't do much for enrichment. Extra $$ would be great for field trips, aftercare enrichment, and more.

When faced with this issue at our affluent eotp school, I just donated a lot to other teachers at other schools and their gofundme projects. It was really nice to feel like I was making a difference, and not just subsidizing another parent's pet project.

I think it's fine for you not to contribute, OP. We all give in ways that are meaningful to us personally. FYI, Cleveland Elementary in Shaw is facing a budget shortfall. They have to raise $30,000 or choose between classroom supplies or a staff member. There are already few (really, almost none) after school enrichment activities. The PTA has raised about $10k already. You might consider donating there. Despite what folks on this board think, Title I schools are not rolling in it, and they offer their students significantly less beyond the bare bones than WOTP schools. You should donate where you think your money can be most impactful, and no one should guilt you about how you define that.

I think it's actually a fantastic idea to do some kind of matching funds for the less well off schools. It really stuck in my craw that our school was a fundraising juggernaut compared to schools in the exact same neighborhood.

And we just got an email--the Cleveland PTA has made it easy: https://www.gofundme.com/ClevelandES-PTA

They are also taking in-kind donations: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/904094da4a92fa31-cleveland

I signed up online and ordered through Amazon.

[Anonymous]

Janney parents actually do not contribute that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Janney parent here. I see the support fee as a mini-tuition to provide some perks for my local community. I do not try to compare this to our family's other charitable giving.

We all make different choices in life, OP. I could argue that, if you want to live a life of charity, you shouldn't live in 20016 and should instead live in a small apartment and give away most of your wealth. That would allow you to donate another $50K per year. You could also quit your high-paying job and volunteer your time.

OP, you haven't made either of these choices. You have instead chosen to make a stand on the student support fee. Congratulations! That additional $500 that you may or may not give to charity is going to make a real difference!

"Mini-tuition". This is public school. The tuition you pay is property taxes. Which, since you DO live in 20016, are pretty damn high. Call it whatever you want, but the notion that a family should be OBLIGATED to pay a single penny at public school is offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janney parent here. I see the support fee as a mini-tuition to provide some perks for my local community. I do not try to compare this to our family's other charitable giving.

We all make different choices in life, OP. I could argue that, if you want to live a life of charity, you shouldn't live in 20016 and should instead live in a small apartment and give away most of your wealth. That would allow you to donate another $50K per year. You could also quit your high-paying job and volunteer your time.

OP, you haven't made either of these choices. You have instead chosen to make a stand on the student support fee. Congratulations! That additional $500 that you may or may not give to charity is going to make a real difference!

"Mini-tuition". This is public school. The tuition you pay is property taxes. Which, since you DO live in 20016, are pretty damn high. Call it whatever you want, but the notion that a family should be OBLIGATED to pay a single penny at public school is offensive.

Wake the fuck up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janney parent here. I see the support fee as a mini-tuition to provide some perks for my local community. I do not try to compare this to our family's other charitable giving.

We all make different choices in life, OP. I could argue that, if you want to live a life of charity, you shouldn't live in 20016 and should instead live in a small apartment and give away most of your wealth. That would allow you to donate another $50K per year. You could also quit your high-paying job and volunteer your time.

OP, you haven't made either of these choices. You have instead chosen to make a stand on the student support fee. Congratulations! That additional $500 that you may or may not give to charity is going to make a real difference!

"Mini-tuition". This is public school. The tuition you pay is property taxes. Which, since you DO live in 20016, are pretty damn high. Call it whatever you want, but the notion that a family should be OBLIGATED to pay a single penny at public school is offensive.

You must be new around here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're welcome to donate to our EOTP school. The Title 1 funds cover additional mental health type positions (school counselor, psychologist, etc.), but don't do much for enrichment. Extra $$ would be great for field trips, aftercare enrichment, and more.

When faced with this issue at our affluent eotp school, I just donated a lot to other teachers at other schools and their gofundme projects. It was really nice to feel like I was making a difference, and not just subsidizing another parent's pet project.

I think it's fine for you not to contribute, OP. We all give in ways that are meaningful to us personally. FYI, Cleveland Elementary in Shaw is facing a budget shortfall. They have to raise $30,000 or choose between classroom supplies or a staff member. There are already few (really, almost none) after school enrichment activities. The PTA has raised about $10k already. You might consider donating there. Despite what folks on this board think, Title I schools are not rolling in it, and they offer their students significantly less beyond the bare bones than WOTP schools. You should donate where you think your money can be most impactful, and no one should guilt you about how you define that.

I think it's actually a fantastic idea to do some kind of matching funds for the less well off schools. It really stuck in my craw that our school was a fundraising juggernaut compared to schools in the exact same neighborhood.

Thank you! Your donation will help a lot of kids who truly need the support!

And we just got an email--the Cleveland PTA has made it easy: https://www.gofundme.com/ClevelandES-PTA

They are also taking in-kind donations: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/904094da4a92fa31-cleveland

I signed up online and ordered through Amazon.

[Anonymous]

I would bet there is a positive correlation between parents' participation rate in paying PTA/PTO dues and higher test scores. The implications should be obvious. Just sayin'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janney parent here. I see the support fee as a mini-tuition to provide some perks for my local community. I do not try to compare this to our family's other charitable giving.

We all make different choices in life, OP. I could argue that, if you want to live a life of charity, you shouldn't live in 20016 and should instead live in a small apartment and give away most of your wealth. That would allow you to donate another $50K per year. You could also quit your high-paying job and volunteer your time.

OP, you haven't made either of these choices. You have instead chosen to make a stand on the student support fee. Congratulations! That additional $500 that you may or may not give to charity is going to make a real difference!

"Mini-tuition". This is public school. The tuition you pay is property taxes. Which, since you DO live in 20016, are pretty damn high. Call it whatever you want, but the notion that a family should be OBLIGATED to pay a single penny at public school is offensive.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janney parent here. I see the support fee as a mini-tuition to provide some perks for my local community. I do not try to compare this to our family's other charitable giving.

We all make different choices in life, OP. I could argue that, if you want to live a life of charity, you shouldn't live in 20016 and should instead live in a small apartment and give away most of your wealth. That would allow you to donate another $50K per year. You could also quit your high-paying job and volunteer your time.

OP, you haven't made either of these choices. You have instead chosen to make a stand on the student support fee. Congratulations! That additional $500 that you may or may not give to charity is going to make a real difference!

"Mini-tuition". This is public school. The tuition you pay is property taxes. Which, since you DO live in 20016, are pretty damn high. Call it whatever you want, but the notion that a family should be OBLIGATED to pay a single penny at public school is offensive.

+1

Certainly not an obligation, but definitely a reasonable price to pay for the benefit of getting to go to a good school, despite a crappy system, for those who can afford it. And, clearly, OP can afford it. She just prefers to freeload.