reserving judgement on the fee/pa vote until I hear more about the process used for the decision. would welcome a PA rep from the school to comment on that (no "i think i know how it happened" posters, please!) but the point is lots of people who can pay just aren't, and the pa is NOT a pta, and is its own separate entity. seems to me you don't have to belong to have a voice in the school or donate to the school for specific causes, but if you want to tell this specific non-profit how to spend its money you have to give to decide. seems fair to me.

And piss off others and make them less inclined to contribute to the PA.

And having the supply fee tied to PA voting is not going to raise the # who pay much if at all. All that does is make the school look elitist.

According to the school (Wow! I asked a direct question and got a direct answer---clearly a novel idea for some DCUM posters) about 2/3 of the parent body pays the supply fee each year. The school sends out 2 reminders: one general, one privately to non-paying families, and then drops it as a lost cause. No hounding as in many other schools, no publicizing on school web sites by class as in many other schools, no talking directly to kids or parents about it.
Low-income parents who contact the school and say that it's too much are offered a suggested reduced rate, a pay-by the month plan, or are told not to worry about it. Proactiveness on the part of the parent(s) means a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this thread being fueled by the same lunatic who is trying to write his own version of the bylaws or create a second PA or something? That guy appears to be a complete nut-job.

I assume that the thread was started by someone like me--a YY parent who might not be happy with the $100 fee for the ability to vote in PA elections, and is trying to figure out what other schools actually do. I knew that some WoP elementary schools have frighteningly large suggested PA dues, and that some schools (including the Title I elementary school our child attended last year) require a PA/PTO membership fee before a parent could vote. The current YY PA leadership seems to believe that these high WoP fees are tied to voting, and not until I read the responses from parents at those schools did I learn that this isn't the case. (So a big thank you to the OP and subsequent posters!)

I'm hopeful that once this is pointed out to other folks in the YY PA, the fee structure might possibly be changed.

I don't believe they thought the high suggested donations were tied to voting in the PA for other schools. They only made it appear that way to make YY's mandatory $100 dues seem reasonable which they aren't.

Anonymous wrote:Is this thread being fueled by the same lunatic who is trying to write his own version of the bylaws or create a second PA or something? That guy appears to be a complete nut-job.

I assume that the thread was started by someone like me--a YY parent who might not be happy with the $100 fee for the ability to vote in PA elections, and is trying to figure out what other schools actually do. I knew that some WoP elementary schools have frighteningly large suggested PA dues, and that some schools (including the Title I elementary school our child attended last year) require a PA/PTO membership fee before a parent could vote. The current YY PA leadership seems to believe that these high WoP fees are tied to voting, and not until I read the responses from parents at those schools did I learn that this isn't the case. (So a big thank you to the OP and subsequent posters!)

I'm hopeful that once this is pointed out to other folks in the YY PA, the fee structure might possibly be changed.

Anonymous wrote:
Tying the PA dues to the voting process probably will have no impact. The parents who come to the PA meetings and are interested in voting are the same ones who don't complain about the $100 fee.

No. I paid it on the first day of school. It wasn't until later that I learned it's tied to voting on the PA which I do have an issue with. Never heard of any other school doing this and it's ridiculous.

New parents. Love the school. The PA not so much. They seem very dictatorial to put it mildly.

The answer to all of this is pretty simple-go to the PA meeting and get involved. Raise your voice.

Anonymous wrote:
Tying the PA dues to the voting process probably will have no impact. The parents who come to the PA meetings and are interested in voting are the same ones who don't complain about the $100 fee.

Not true. I paid on the first day of school but have issue with it being tied to voting on the PA - which I learned much later.

It is not the prevailing attitude - not by a long stretch! It is our first year but we find it a great, enriching environment for our child and feel welcomed by teachers, admin, and fellow parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this thread being fueled by the same lunatic who is trying to write his own version of the bylaws or create a second PA or something? That guy appears to be a complete nut-job.

All this time, I thought the Yu Ying crank was a woman. Ladies, I apologize for the sexism of that assumption.

If this is the prevailing attitude at YY, no wonder no one says anything. Disagree and have the nerve to propose an alternative and you're a "nut-job" and "lunatic."

Calling a parent names on an anon forum, nice. You're probably the same one who complains that YY parents complain on DCOM about the school.

Anonymous wrote:Is this thread being fueled by the same lunatic who is trying to write his own version of the bylaws or create a second PA or something? That guy appears to be a complete nut-job.

Name calling is mean. I know the author of the alternative by laws as a very involved parent who has a child in the same class as mine. I don't always agree with him (and in this case don't think creating alternative by laws is the right approach), but please disagree with ideas and don't get personal.

Anonymous wrote:So far to vote in the PTA/PA per family:

Brent $20
Lafayette $50
Mann $10
Janney $10
Maury Free
Shepherd Free
Kipp - Benning Campus $10
Eaton Free
Eastern $5

Hearst $0

However, you are supposed to sign up in order to vote.

The suggested enrichment fee -- $300 per child -- is an entirely separate matter. People pay what they can afford or inclined to pay; sometimes more, sometimes less.

Anonymous wrote:Is this thread being fueled by the same lunatic who is trying to write his own version of the bylaws or create a second PA or something? That guy appears to be a complete nut-job.

All this time, I thought the Yu Ying crank was a woman. Ladies, I apologize for the sexism of that assumption.

Is this thread being fueled by the same lunatic who is trying to write his own version of the bylaws or create a second PA or something? That guy appears to be a complete nut-job.