Best and Worst of PTA events?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you give examples of things for which your pta has advocated? We don’t do this at all.

When our school system didn't resolve bus route issues at the beginning of the year (worse than the usual kinks that get worked out in the first few weeks) and the bus depot wasn't listening to the principal, our PTA did the leg work to gather data, make the calls and attend the meeting with the transport people. They found a solution. Our PTA gets the word out to parents when the county holds hearings on renovations, overcrowding, budget issues, staffing cuts, etc. so that parents can attend those meetings or write to the relevant office.

[Anonymous]

I guess I am one of the "suckers" since I love the book fair and actually volunteered to run it next year. I buy books for my kid twice a year at the fairs and online, so we normally spend a ton, but at least % goes to school from it.
To be fair, i would be POd too if book fair blocked media center for the week. Also we dont put out really expensive books (over $20) and tchotchkes unless fair is open in the evening (one night per fair).
My other fave is international night.
End of year picnic I dislike - crappy food with ridiculous lines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

We earned more than $20K from Boosterthon after we had already done an amazing silent auction that raised $22K! And our school is 28% Farms! Do you know who was giving $20 flat donations or 50 cents a lap for their kid?! The FARMS families!!! Everyone wants to be part of raising money for the school and part of supporting and sponsoring their child in doing something fun! You guys can knock it all you want, but Boosterthon blew us away with what they provided to our school. The morale is high and the classroom "team spirit" during that two weeks and beyond was off the charts! And that is priceless!

Wow, I don't think I've read something so tone deaf and self absorbed in a long time. Do you realize that families on FARMS are food insecure, have difficulty getting together rent each month, struggle to buy their kids new shoes or winter coats and spending $20 on Boosterthon doesn't mean just giving up 4 Starbucks drinks? Do you understand the humiliation of poverty that poor kids and their families experience around people like you?

Of course the poor kids don't want to be excluded! Everyday when these kids walk into school they see how your kids have so much more. They see your kids in a house with their own bedroom while they are in a tiny apartment sharing a room with multiple siblings or even their parents. They see your kids new shoes, soccer ball and new school supplies. The parents giving you your $20 that would have paid for food for the next week aren't doing it because they love the priceless experience that you brought to the school -they are doing it so that at least for this their kid isn't on the sideline. They are doing it because they want to avoid the humiliation that you'll think they don't do their part. For once, they don't want their kids to feel less than the others. Boosterthon knows this and plays off this feeling. Its just morally wrong on so many levels.

Tone deaf is exactly what THIS reply is, actually. I grew up in one of these families and the idea that you would think that families like ours don't take pride in contributing even the little amount that we can is insulting and dehumanizing. Yes we were food poor often didn't know how we would get groceries for the next week, but we also wanted to feel like part of the school community and took pride in giving too.
I know you think you're being kind and posting in defense of families like mine, but maybe speak for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The book fair always seemed like a ripoff. I imagine if the school charges $8/book they might get 10% of that. I'd rather give $8 to the PTA and not buy overpriced books from Scholastic.

Just curious, in my experience Scholastic books are cheaper than B&n for example. Why do you call them overpriced?

Because the ones that I compared to Amazon ran about 20% higher, but it's not like I did an exhaustive comparison.

And that's why Amazon is killing off small bookstores and other businesses and forming a monopoly on every industry in this country...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The book fair always seemed like a ripoff. I imagine if the school charges $8/book they might get 10% of that. I'd rather give $8 to the PTA and not buy overpriced books from Scholastic.

Just curious, in my experience Scholastic books are cheaper than B&n for example. Why do you call them overpriced?

Because the ones that I compared to Amazon ran about 20% higher, but it's not like I did an exhaustive comparison.

And that's why Amazon is killing off small bookstores and other businesses and forming a monopoly on every industry in this country...

Same PP here - didn't finish my thought. Book fair prices will also be higher than Amazon because it is a fundraiser. You pay a bit more so that the school can get some money back. How much does your school get when you buy your books from Amazon??? (0.5% is what the Amazon Smile program donates if you designate a charity every time you check out).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The book fair always seemed like a ripoff. I imagine if the school charges $8/book they might get 10% of that. I'd rather give $8 to the PTA and not buy overpriced books from Scholastic.

Just curious, in my experience Scholastic books are cheaper than B&n for example. Why do you call them overpriced?

Because the ones that I compared to Amazon ran about 20% higher, but it's not like I did an exhaustive comparison.

And that's why Amazon is killing off small bookstores and other businesses and forming a monopoly on every industry in this country...

Same PP here - didn't finish my thought. Book fair prices will also be higher than Amazon because it is a fundraiser. You pay a bit more so that the school can get some money back. How much does your school get when you buy your books from Amazon??? (0.5% is what the Amazon Smile program donates if you designate a charity every time you check out).

That's why I suggested simply donating $$$ to the PTA rather than buying books from Scholastic. Also, I have enough books in my house already and prefer to use the public library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The book fair always seemed like a ripoff. I imagine if the school charges $8/book they might get 10% of that. I'd rather give $8 to the PTA and not buy overpriced books from Scholastic.

Just curious, in my experience Scholastic books are cheaper than B&n for example. Why do you call them overpriced?

Because the ones that I compared to Amazon ran about 20% higher, but it's not like I did an exhaustive comparison.

And that's why Amazon is killing off small bookstores and other businesses and forming a monopoly on every industry in this country...

When AMZN adds 50k high paying jobs to MOCO you'll change your tune!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We earned more than $20K from Boosterthon after we had already done an amazing silent auction that raised $22K! And our school is 28% Farms! Do you know who was giving $20 flat donations or 50 cents a lap for their kid?! The FARMS families!!! Everyone wants to be part of raising money for the school and part of supporting and sponsoring their child in doing something fun! You guys can knock it all you want, but Boosterthon blew us away with what they provided to our school. The morale is high and the classroom "team spirit" during that two weeks and beyond was off the charts! And that is priceless!

Wow, I don't think I've read something so tone deaf and self absorbed in a long time. Do you realize that families on FARMS are food insecure, have difficulty getting together rent each month, struggle to buy their kids new shoes or winter coats and spending $20 on Boosterthon doesn't mean just giving up 4 Starbucks drinks? Do you understand the humiliation of poverty that poor kids and their families experience around people like you?

Of course the poor kids don't want to be excluded! Everyday when these kids walk into school they see how your kids have so much more. They see your kids in a house with their own bedroom while they are in a tiny apartment sharing a room with multiple siblings or even their parents. They see your kids new shoes, soccer ball and new school supplies. The parents giving you your $20 that would have paid for food for the next week aren't doing it because they love the priceless experience that you brought to the school -they are doing it so that at least for this their kid isn't on the sideline. They are doing it because they want to avoid the humiliation that you'll think they don't do their part. For once, they don't want their kids to feel less than the others. Boosterthon knows this and plays off this feeling. Its just morally wrong on so many levels.

Tone deaf is exactly what THIS reply is, actually. I grew up in one of these families and the idea that you would think that families like ours don't take pride in contributing even the little amount that we can is insulting and dehumanizing. Yes we were food poor often didn't know how we would get groceries for the next week, but we also wanted to feel like part of the school community and took pride in giving too.
I know you think you're being kind and posting in defense of families like mine, but maybe speak for yourself.

Not the PP, but agree with them. Of course, all kids should be able to participate in activities, and the pressure to give money in order to do so fully is what is offensive. Families shouldn't be put into the position that they HAVE to for their kid to fit in socially. Sure-- FARMS families may be happy to give and there are plenty of opportunities for them to do so. But it's the social pressure of Boosterthon that I don't like.

My school had it a few years ago. Our income is high enough that it's not a problem, but I really hated the pressure. We discontinued it because so many parents hated it. (Though I'll admit that the $$ was good-- it helped our PTA budget for a few years after we stopped!)

[Anonymous]

Not the PP, but agree with them. Of course, all kids should be able to participate in activities, and the pressure to give money in order to do so fully is what is offensive. Families shouldn't be put into the position that they HAVE to for their kid to fit in socially. Sure-- FARMS families may be happy to give and there are plenty of opportunities for them to do so. But it's the social pressure of Boosterthon that I don't like.

My school had it a few years ago. Our income is high enough that it's not a problem, but I really hated the pressure. We discontinued it because so many parents hated it. (Though I'll admit that the $$ was good-- it helped our PTA budget for a few years after we stopped!)

This plus IMO its irresponsible to raise 30K when you only need 15K. These events are not rocket science. If you didn't raise 50% more than what you need you wouldn't need to make it such as high pressure, sleazy experience. Our school and several others started doing a fun run WITHOUT Boosterthon. Our volunteers were doing a lot of the work in Boosterthon already so it wasn't more work. We didn't gross as much as with Boosterthon but we ended up netting the same amount. We had the same participation but parents were relieved not to be pressured to spend as much as they did with Boosterthon.

Our goal was to fund the school project not get as much money as we can. I think some PTA moms become too competitive about raising as much money as they can and do not see that they just wasted so much of the communities money.

[Anonymous]

I have no experience with Boosterthon, but I was one of the people integral to setting up and pulling off an our own fun run at my kid's school. What many people are forgetting to factor in is the incredible amount of time it takes for parent volunteers to run these fun runs -- i.e., the opportunity cost to the parent volunteers. I in effect gave up several hundred dollars of wages each day I took off to deal with managing the various aspects of the fun run, and that was just one person. As those of use who do a lot for our schools know, it is very difficult to get parents to volunteer. It is especially difficult to get parents to actually manage or head an event, or even part of an event. Most parents who are willing to help are only willing to do so an hour here or there, and feel free to cancel at the last minute if their kid gets sick, they have a sudden work conflict, etc. -- legitimate problems, but it all has to do with priorities, and those decisions leave the volunteers in charge having to do even more work and make them not want to take on these commitments in the first place. So paying someone else to do the work is not a bad option. Also, it looks like Boosterthon provides a T-shirt to all the kids at the school. We did that too. That alone costs thousands of dollars. So $15,000 profit from $30,000 raised is actually not ridiculous, based on my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And that's why Amazon is killing off small bookstores and other businesses and forming a monopoly on every industry in this country...

Same PP here - didn't finish my thought. Book fair prices will also be higher than Amazon because it is a fundraiser. You pay a bit more so that the school can get some money back. How much does your school get when you buy your books from Amazon??? (0.5% is what the Amazon Smile program donates if you designate a charity every time you check out).

That's why I suggested simply donating $$$ to the PTA rather than buying books from Scholastic. Also, I have enough books in my house already and prefer to use the public library.

+1 and our school doesn't do a book fair but it seems to be a PTA staple at many schools

[Anonymous]

OP our PTA (wealthy) organizes book and clothing drives to benefit our sister school's PTA (high FARMS rate).

This WaPo article talks about PTA money-sharing initiatives in DCPS. Parents raise massive amounts of money at some public schools. Should they share it?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/parents-raise-massive-amounts-of-money-at-some-public-schools-should-they-share-it/2018/03/16/e3a53eb0-1650-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921_story.html?utm_term=.bed3199398ce

[Anonymous]

So paying someone else to do the work is not a bad option. Also, it looks like Boosterthon provides a T-shirt to all the kids at the school. We did that too. That alone costs thousands of dollars. So $15,000 profit from $30,000 raised is actually not ridiculous, based on my experience.

Except Boosterthon is still using the parents as volunteers in many cases. We do T-Shirts too but even a good quality T-Shirt is $10 or less bulk. If you have 600 students that 6K -most likely $4500 with the bulk ordering discount. We had businesses sponsor the shirt. We called local camps, sports class for kids, fitness centers, grocery stores, dentists etc and offered to put their logo on the back of the shirt in exchange for donating toward the event. We covered the water bottles, T-shirt and inexpensive medal give aways all from the business donors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The book fair always seemed like a ripoff. I imagine if the school charges $8/book they might get 10% of that. I'd rather give $8 to the PTA and not buy overpriced books from Scholastic.

Just curious, in my experience Scholastic books are cheaper than B&n for example. Why do you call them overpriced?

Because the ones that I compared to Amazon ran about 20% higher, but it's not like I did an exhaustive comparison.

And that's why Amazon is killing off small bookstores and other businesses and forming a monopoly on every industry in this country...

When AMZN adds 50k high paying jobs to MOCO you'll change your tune!

Are you really that clueless? They are not going to add 50K high paying jobs. Only select jobs are high paying and much comes from RSU's They have a max amount they pay - and they will give you bonuses to get you in the first year but you lose that by the 2nd year and locked in a few year contract if you stay. Read the new CNN article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP our PTA (wealthy) organizes book and clothing drives to benefit our sister school's PTA (high FARMS rate).

This WaPo article talks about PTA money-sharing initiatives in DCPS. Parents raise massive amounts of money at some public schools. Should they share it?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/parents-raise-massive-amounts-of-money-at-some-public-schools-should-they-share-it/2018/03/16/e3a53eb0-1650-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921_story.html?utm_term=.bed3199398ce

We don't have a sister school but I hate how our school collects toys and clothing to donate when we have kids at our school who could use it. I'd happily donate to kids at our school but I'm not donating to the principals random charity.

No, they shouldn't have to share it.