Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 13:22     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is $40 at WESTLAND MS too and only those that join PTA get a directory. They say you can still have access to the directory on your smartphone. Really???? I don't have a smartphone or any other fancy gadget for that matter and I am certainly not going to approach other parents who call themselves the PTA to plead poverty. Many Westland parents feel this way too. You can see how out of touch the PTA is.

This must be the new thing to force parents to join the PTA. I find it obnoxious. Soon they will be excluding non-PTA families from their activities.


Yep, Westland parent here too. It's appalling. They also maintain that they know who the kids are whose families can't afford this and will make arrangements. REALLY? How do they know this -- is the front office sharing info about free and reduced price lunch applications, which should be confidential?! And what about people who don't, for various reasons apply for free and reduced or qualify but for whom $40 might be too much?

The entitlement and cluelessness of these people just blows me away.


Have you complained to the principal? I don't see why there should be any fee to join the PTA. I don't, however, have a problem with the PTA selling a school student directory as a fund raiser. I am assuming that the PTA collects the information and doesn't get it from the school.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 13:18     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Often PTAs work the back channels to give low income families things for free or at a very big discount (like year books, school shirts, directories). They often get the deserving names on the "down low" from the office so there is no embarrassment or any confidentiality issues.

At our school, we do this without publicizing it for fear that the higher income parents will start complaining that they're paying a little bit extra to cover the costs.


We complain bc those kids get enough already and we know their parents will take whatever freebie they can get. God forbid thy don't have enough to get their nails done and have to pay for school supplies!


You, PP, are a horrible person. You are willing to punish the child for the sins of the parent. Some children may have less than great parents, but why punish the child? There are children at my wife's school who don't have a bed, or clothes that fit. Maybe you are correct that some of those children's parents choose to spend money on themselves instead of their children. But do you think denying a child school supplies, gloves and a hat in winter, or the opportunity to go on a field trip is going to teach those the parents a lesson?
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 11:19     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
I wonder how the principal at Westland feels about this. If I were in her shoes I would not allow it.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 10:46     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Anonymous wrote:It is $40 at WESTLAND MS too and only those that join PTA get a directory. They say you can still have access to the directory on your smartphone. Really???? I don't have a smartphone or any other fancy gadget for that matter and I am certainly not going to approach other parents who call themselves the PTA to plead poverty. Many Westland parents feel this way too. You can see how out of touch the PTA is.

This must be the new thing to force parents to join the PTA. I find it obnoxious. Soon they will be excluding non-PTA families from their activities.


Yep, Westland parent here too. It's appalling. They also maintain that they know who the kids are whose families can't afford this and will make arrangements. REALLY? How do they know this -- is the front office sharing info about free and reduced price lunch applications, which should be confidential?! And what about people who don't, for various reasons apply for free and reduced or qualify but for whom $40 might be too much?

The entitlement and cluelessness of these people just blows me away.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 10:22     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
It is $40 at WESTLAND MS too and only those that join PTA get a directory. They say you can still have access to the directory on your smartphone. Really???? I don't have a smartphone or any other fancy gadget for that matter and I am certainly not going to approach other parents who call themselves the PTA to plead poverty. Many Westland parents feel this way too. You can see how out of touch the PTA is.

This must be the new thing to force parents to join the PTA. I find it obnoxious. Soon they will be excluding non-PTA families from their activities.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 08:13     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
$10 at our school
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 07:32     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Anonymous wrote:Often PTAs work the back channels to give low income families things for free or at a very big discount (like year books, school shirts, directories). They often get the deserving names on the "down low" from the office so there is no embarrassment or any confidentiality issues.

At our school, we do this without publicizing it for fear that the higher income parents will start complaining that they're paying a little bit extra to cover the costs.


We complain bc those kids get enough already and we know their parents will take whatever freebie they can get. God forbid thy don't have enough to get their nails done and have to pay for school supplies!
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 06:44     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
PP again..sorry I got that wrong about hard copies only going to those who pay...
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2013 06:42     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
My school is exactly the opposite..everyone gets paper and PTA members get app based access. Kind off odd that those that don't pay get paper access when that probably costs the PTA more to produce.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2013 21:34     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:"Draconian" isn't quite the word you want. How about "usurious" (hah) or "Pile-on" or "Excessive, Surprise add-on fees".


+1

Haha! Yes, I seriously clicked on this post only because I thought the use of Draconian was incorrect. Thank you, I would have had to say it if someone else didn't.


Anonymous
Post 08/24/2013 21:30     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
PTA board member in a "good" school here and we DO give the directory and other such items to the families who can not afford it. The problem is that the families who CAN afford to pay the PTA fees don't and feel they are entitled to everything for free and this means that the same group of parents end of paying for everything.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2013 20:17     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
$15 at my kid's school with 20% FARMS.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2013 19:47     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
The PTA fee at my kids private is only 20 and people complain about it.HA.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2013 19:13     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Anonymous wrote:"Draconian" isn't quite the word you want. How about "usurious" (hah) or "Pile-on" or "Excessive, Surprise add-on fees".


+1

Haha! Yes, I seriously clicked on this post only because I thought the use of Draconian was incorrect. Thank you, I would have had to say it if someone else didn't.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2013 19:06     Subject: Draconian PTA Fees?
Ours is $35. The PTA charges what they know people will pay. If more people objected and refused to pay, the price would go down. That isn't likely to happen at my kids' "elite" school, and the people in charge know it.