Reply to How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?

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Reply to "How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I find the initial argument for this thread interesting. Our family did 2 years at a Title 1 school with a fledgling PTO, and we are now at a school with a PTO that does a ton of fundraising. Several thoughts:

1) The argument against big PTO fundraising that most resonates with me is the one that posits that wealthier family will concentrate on this rather than demanding more money from the school system (which would benefit all schools). I think that's a decent argument.

2) The argument that parents just shouldn't fundraise or try to get nice things for their kids in general is pretty anti-evolutionary and will definitely drive wealthier families out of the public school system (which in my mind is a bad thing). Plus the PTO fundraising benefits pretty much all of the kids in a school, many of whom are not wealthy.

3) The huge numbers coming from some PTOs aren't really representative of the discretionary money those PTOs can spend on the kids. A $100K fundraiser can cost $60K to run. $40K is still a big number. But it's not $100K.

4) One thing that our school does is collect money at the start of the year for all annual classroom supplies and field trips. This is a big chunk of what you see in our total PTO budget. But it's not an extra. It's just avoiding the nickel and diming of asking for $20 for every fieldtrip and giving out a supply list at the start of the year. Doing things this way is a luxury (most parents are able to front those costs), and I just wish all schools could do it. It so reduces transaction costs and means that teachers can actually buy what they need rather than receiving 56 bottles of Elmers glue from whatever ill-conceived supply list the school administration sent out to parents at the start of the year.

So, yeah, big PTO dollars does make a bunch of things easier/better and buys some nice things which ease the minds of wealthier parents and helps kids at that school. But I agree with all the previous posters that it's not the bulk of what makes public schools unequal/inequitable. That is based on the needs of the kids who come in the door.[/quote]

+1000.  And, not to start another new topic, but this is why the whole Wilson name change movement is just another example of clueless limousine liberals trying to make some sort of cosmetic social justice warrior statement that will have ZERO effect on the kids there that are really struggling.  Take the time and money that is being spent on this and invest in real solutions to trying to close the achievement gap.[/quote]

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