Reply to How much does your school's PTA raise?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Those who are part of a PTA that raises lots of money, please share your secret.[/quote]

Lots of rich parents.[/quote]

A friend whose kids are at one of the JKM schools told me that the fundraising is handled by a professional fundraiser (for a major charity, don't remember which one) who happens to also be a parent at the school.  There is a "voluntary" $1500 contribution that they are strong armed to give and most parents do so.

And we wonder why there is such a divide in education here in DC.[/quote]

I think the situation is a little more complicated. Title 1 schools in DC get much more money than non Title 1 schools, so troubled schools do not necessary get less money, they may have actually get more, even counting the PTA money.

we are at a JKLM school, the foundaising is organized, totally for free, by extremely dedicated parents who, in most cases, juggle family, a full time job, and the PTA activities. many more parents, me included, give their time as the "workforce" for fundraising activities.  the foundasing goal is $350 per child and nobody is strong armed to give, parents get a letter and one or two reminders, by mail, and nothing else. the amount is set knowing very well that there are families that cannot donate anything. there are families that donate more, and all kids benefit from the money raised (sometimes even kids who are not at the school - the current playground was completely redone 4 years ago with PTA money, and it is open after school and on weekends to everybody.  the money is spent to support school activities and salaries of some staff members (I suspect that the reference to PTA salaries at Janney refers to school staff members whose salaries are covered by the PTA - I am not at that school so I di not have direct experience). [/quote]
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I'm the PP, the school in question is Mann and my friend made it very clear that this "voluntary" donation was expected and that the pressure to contribute -- at that very high level -- was almost impossible to avoid[/b].[/quote]

Your quote says more about your friend than it does about Mann. 68% of Mann parents have pledged to the school.[/quote]

Bullshit. Fundraising at Mann is organized by the parents.  The donation is voluntary. No pressure to contribute . Some families contribute for thousands of dollars, some families contribute with time, i.e. help with the class art projects for the auction, help for the organization and volunteer time at the "summer bash" . Some families do contribute at all, and yet they are still served with the best educational offer the school can offer, with no discrimination.

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Definitely not how all parents see it.  I speak from experience.[/quote]

Some parents who do not contribute feel they are free-riding from others' contribution. Well, if they are well-off and do not contribute with a few hundred bucks, that's how they should feel (I know families who make $150,000+ a year and do not contribute a single dollar or a single hour). If they do not have the means, I hope they do not transmit this sense of pressure to their kids. I know that no kid has ever been pressured or made uncomfortable, not to mention discrimination, due to parents' lack of PTA contribution.

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