Reply to Janney PTA raised $1.4 million in one year

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Reply to "Janney PTA raised $1.4 million in one year"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I do think this is sloppy reporting, and I really don't care how much a PTA raises in different schools... I get that as a parent you are willing to donate more to a school if it directly impacts your child.

That being said, I would think with a budget as high as some of these schools have, perhaps they could make a small effort to help schools with much smaller PTO budgets.  The success of the district as a whole should matter to these schools, even if the number one priority is their own population.

For one, many of these "poorer" schools are extremely inexperienced with fundraising, what works, what doesn't, etc.  Reaching out to "mentor" a developing PTO would be so appreciated by schools.  Offering advice, maybe a connection or two, sharing information, etc.  Maybe developing a "Sister PTO" relationship.  Its not just about the money. These schools are struggling just to figure out how to run a PTO, let alone how to raise money.

And if we want to get into the money, perhaps the wealthier PTO's could fund a small grant for other PTO's in the district.  Offering a couple $500-$1000 grants a year to other district PTO's for a worthy cause. It would make such a difference to those school's budgets and would make a small impact on the wealthier school budgets.

I just think there are ways that wealthier schools could use a small portion of their resources for the greater good without negatively impacting their own budgets.[/quote]

These PTAs absolutely do this. Many schools collect books at book fairs to help fill shelves in poorer parts of the city and coat drives to fill sister-school requests. There are organizations who's sole purpose is to make the connection between rich and poor PTOs and many of these school participate in this.

Lafayette, for example, has an entire program called Lafayette Gives back, sponsored by the HSA, whose sole purpose is to give, and to teach kids to give, to others. This includes packing backpacks for foster kids, making care packages for first-responders and collecting baby carriers for refugees.[/quote]

This is wonderful... however, I am not sure it is well advertised.  Being on a PTO at an EOTP elementary with limited resources, I have never once heard from a PTO at a more advantaged school.  We have reached out directly to schools and been told specifically that, at this time, they do not offer any assistance.  Etc. Perhaps we have spoken to the wrong schools...perhaps we have contacted the wrong people... But if it is something these schools are doing- they should make sure people know about it. [/quote]

All of these schools have Give Back programs and partnerships. Usually, the need is identified and the transaction processed through school to school contact (often the social workers) not PTA to PTA. It isn't advertised because that would be viewed as self-congratulatory and obnoxious. I think if you were to dig into it and started to learn just how much these parents do to support DCPS kids quietly and in the background, you'd be angry at articles like the one linked in OP.[/quote]

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