Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it helps me to have an outlet at the school for my Type A self. With other parents and in meetings, I try to be super mellow and a good listener and all that. It doesn't come naturally to me! So I have also taken on writing a few grants to get money from companies. That's more suited to my personality because it doesn't require any big meetings and group dynamics, just a little bit of email with teachers.

This is very self-aware and I commend you for it. So many people I have interacted with don't realize how their hard-charging personality, while well-intended, comes off as over-bearing and controlling. Recognizing that in yourself, and trying to put yourself in situations where it won't come out (or will be helpful when it does), is very impressive and says a lot about you as a person.

Anonymous wrote:I find it helps me to have an outlet at the school for my Type A self. With other parents and in meetings, I try to be super mellow and a good listener and all that. It doesn't come naturally to me! So I have also taken on writing a few grants to get money from companies. That's more suited to my personality because it doesn't require any big meetings and group dynamics, just a little bit of email with teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am on the PTO at an EOTP school. Title 1, large percentage of ELL folks. I suspect that the OP of this thread is at my school, and all the things she describes are definitely what we are doing. I've worked with our school's version of an instructional coach to survey parents in various contexts to see what they want. Leaving questions open ended and leaving a lot of time for people to talk about whatever they want has been helpful. There were concerns about aftercare, so we invited the person who runs aftercare to the meeting and let him talk and answer questions until everyone at the meeting was satisfied with what they were being told. Then we opened the floor for more questions, which led to more discussion. I very much see my job in the PTO as being as responsive as possible and listening more than I talk. I feel pretty strongly that building trust takes time and cannot happen by rushing in demanding and insisting and being appalled and horrified and whatever else people on the other thread were about whatever was happening over there. I try to remember that people who have been at the school longer than me have concerns that I may not know anything about. They may also share my concerns, but it's important to let everyone talk. I do not want to suck all the air out of the room, as I have seen people do in the past (not just new parents either - some long-term parents as well).

As for fundraising, I think the PP is seriously out of touch. Our PTO asks for a very small donation at the start of the year. It's not per child, though I would like it to be. We have very specific, targeted fundraisers - this field trip, that all-school activity. The money that the Ward 3 schools bring in is astonishing to me. One person's per child donation at Janney is pretty close to what our PTO has in the bank right now. Our community is very low income and while I do believe that not enough efforts have been made in the past to figure out what donation level would be sustainable, I cannot imagine requiring the kind of money that seems normal in Ward 3. Suggesting that a high poverty school take a page out of the fundraising book from Ward 3 schools seems really out of touch to me. I'm sure you meant it kindly, so thank you, and thanks for the rest of your post. Some of those things are definitely things we've discussed.

Knowing your limitations is important, but don't overlook the value of fundraising. If the parents are unable to provide income themselves, are there some parents who can solicit their employers to donate? What are the neighborhood businesses that can contribute? Local banks? I once worked at a school in a low income neighborhood with a limousine company located nearby. We were able to get the limousine company to provide rides to school for the students of the month. It didn't add any resources but it built up the esteem of the students who were doing the right thing. If you have a newsletter, website, facebook page, twitter account and a connection to neighborhood listservs you can promote all businesses who are willing to support the school in a variety of capacities. Perhaps a local business is willing to set up a donation bucket or do something the we see in stores for the March of Dimes-- donate a dollar, sign your name to a cutout of a school, and post it in the store. Make sure every teacher has a donors choose page for wish list items. Have a "giving drive" and see if parents can get their friends to donate small amounts ($10 or so) to the school. Local churches are also often willing to donate resources (paper, supplies, volunteer hours at a fundraiser. Is there a pizza shop nearby that will donate some pizzas that you can sell for a $1 a slice? Start small and go from there. My child attended a school that tried the 'Ward 3' fundraiser approach. It failed miserably. The simple stuff worked much better.

Anonymous wrote:I am on the PTO at an EOTP school. Title 1, large percentage of ELL folks. I suspect that the OP of this thread is at my school, and all the things she describes are definitely what we are doing. I've worked with our school's version of an instructional coach to survey parents in various contexts to see what they want. Leaving questions open ended and leaving a lot of time for people to talk about whatever they want has been helpful. There were concerns about aftercare, so we invited the person who runs aftercare to the meeting and let him talk and answer questions until everyone at the meeting was satisfied with what they were being told. Then we opened the floor for more questions, which led to more discussion. I very much see my job in the PTO as being as responsive as possible and listening more than I talk. I feel pretty strongly that building trust takes time and cannot happen by rushing in demanding and insisting and being appalled and horrified and whatever else people on the other thread were about whatever was happening over there. I try to remember that people who have been at the school longer than me have concerns that I may not know anything about. They may also share my concerns, but it's important to let everyone talk. I do not want to suck all the air out of the room, as I have seen people do in the past (not just new parents either - some long-term parents as well).

As for fundraising, I think the PP is seriously out of touch. Our PTO asks for a very small donation at the start of the year. It's not per child, though I would like it to be. We have very specific, targeted fundraisers - this field trip, that all-school activity. The money that the Ward 3 schools bring in is astonishing to me. One person's per child donation at Janney is pretty close to what our PTO has in the bank right now. Our community is very low income and while I do believe that not enough efforts have been made in the past to figure out what donation level would be sustainable, I cannot imagine requiring the kind of money that seems normal in Ward 3. Suggesting that a high poverty school take a page out of the fundraising book from Ward 3 schools seems really out of touch to me. I'm sure you meant it kindly, so thank you, and thanks for the rest of your post. Some of those things are definitely things we've discussed.

Anonymous wrote:The money a school gets from Title I can pale in comparison to the money a rich school gets through its PTA. Look at some of the PTAs in Ward 3 schools and what they can afford--a full-time aide in every class, a science room with a dedicated teacher, etc. Community-building is great and can help you identify what a school's goals for fundraising are, but after that comes the fundraising. Could there be a free summer program for enrolled kids, maybe for the last 2 weeks of summer (incentive to enroll early, and a good way to help "summer brain drain")? Saturday school with remediation and also sections to move kids proficient and advanced? Better before and after care? Field trips? Special treats for kids who meet academic or behavioral goals? Social worker for the most at-risk families? ESL or other programs for parents, with free and enriching child care? Guidance counselors to help 4th and 5th graders choose and apply to the best schools for them? There is a LOT a school can do with funding.

Anonymous wrote:I've been down that road. For several years, I took off work, left work and volunteered, organized and ran programs, with the support of a few teachers and a few parents along with occasional admin support. It is a daunting and exhausting task.

The things that worked best when it came to parental involvement were having activities like awards programs at night so working parents (which was most) could come. Fundraisers, had to be simple (a fall festival at the school, which did get parent volunteers). We also had a successful fundraiser that was largely supported by community members ('gentrifying' neighborhood) and a few business partners. Free activities also help with community building, but you need sponsors for them.

Does your school have a website and listserv? What about a newsletter? Things that promote open lines of communication can be very helpful.

A parent organization seemed like a good idea, but that's when things really started to fall apart- too many chiefs, and unfortunately some who didn't have the skill set for the positions they volunteered for. I think in the start, a more 'loosely organized' group with simple goals would have been better initially. Everybody suggest some activities and see which have the most traction and go from there...

Eventually my husband and I decided it was time to move on, and placed our children in fantastic charter schools, but I truly wish things had worked out differently. I wish you well.