After reading Nicole’s post below about the holiday concert dilemna, I wanted to share a story of something that recently happened at our school. School fundraising and donation drives are taking place nearly every week at our school, as I’m sure most schools are too in today’s economy. I’ve been getting a bit irritated though at the way our school has been going about it with all types of incentives. And I, like Nicole, struggled with whether I send a note to our school about how I feel or just let it go. I chose to send the letter and voice my opinion which I’ll share with you below.
I feel I must write to you and address an issue that my kids, as well as the others in our car pool, were talking about today on the way home from school. Apparently there was an assembly today where prizes were given out with regards to the direct donation drive. I want to make you aware of some of the comments that were made by these kids.
1.We don’t even participate in it because the same kids whose parents and their friends who run the program win every year.
2. Isn’t it interesting how the rules are written so that certain kids always win?
3.Why do it, we don’t even have a chance, and every year the same kids win.
4.Surprise, surprise, (name) one again, he wins everything his mom is involved in.
5.Oh yeah, it’s the same as the Mad Scientist assembly and the pizza party for the membership drive, if you don’t do it, you don’t get the assembly or the party.
I think it is appalling that elementary age kids are picking up on the fact that kids whose parents run the programs, along with their friends’ kids, are the ones that always win. I also think it’s terrible to tie incentives to voluntary fundraising programs where if you don’t meet a specific threshold, your child and/or your child’s class is denied participation in an assembly or an event. I can honestly say that my husband and I refuse to participate in any school fundraising effort that is associated with a contest for this exact reason. Our children are in school is to receive an education, they shouldn’t feel pressured to have their family donate to a cause and then be denied of something if they don’t do it or enough of it. If my kids are being denied something that has to do with their education based on a donation that isn’t made, I have a major issue with that. We are raising our children to be ethical individuals and to have them come home telling us we HAVE to donate otherwise they will not get something is horrible.
Please be aware that the comments made by these kids today are also being made by other kids, as well as their parents, and even some teachers at the school who are uncomfortable to step forward and say something. I hope that in the future, donation programs will be strictly voluntarily based and that those running the programs use some ethics in structuring them. If they think it isn’t being noticed, they’re wrong.
It’s been two weeks and I have yet to get a response from my letter.
I am all for donating but I do not agree with certain ways our school is going about it. To deny children an educational assembly because their class didn’t raise enough money is total bullshit. And ladies, to see the same kids (your kids) win the prizes in every program…Come On, Get a Life…it’s about helping the school, not pleasing your kids!
Bravo to you for standing up with courage to share yout true feelings. YOu also were able to do it while being polite and professional.
These fundraisers IMO give kids the impression that is how the school is funded. It is funded primarily by taxes and the school’s focus (and PTAs) on the fundraisers involving children hides the fact that what really runs the schools are the taxpayer citizens. Each family who pays taxes contributes, that is the major ‘donation’, not the small amount that a fundraiser earns.
It is also not fair to keep asking others to buy this stuff. I have fundraiser wrapping paper coming out of my ears.
When my DH was unemployed I got pressured from neighbors to buy these things for the public school fundraiser. We kept up paying our taxes on time, many thousands of dollars a year.
My PTA officers also said they didn’t have a clear plan for how they’d use the money for the $100 a brick fundraiser they had, so I said until they could give me an idea, I was not buying one. (A carved brick to be put in front of the school.)
I homeschool my kids. I pay taxes on time. I get no rebates or vouchers, help or advice from the town or schools. I just pay the full taxes then also fund the full cost of homeschooling all the while not earning real income at a full tiem job as I’ve sacrificed to raise my kids.
Again bravo to you.
And don’t expect a reply, you won’t get one.
(But in my town no one will speak up as they say the principal, administrators black ball the kids of the outspoken, giving them the ‘worst’ teachers etc.)
It’s bad enough that we are facing a rough economic slope and donations are hard to make or come by and people are still behaving in a child-like manner. Everyone who donates should have an equal opportunity to win. If you are tired of this childish behavior? Start using, http://www.mainstreetfair.com to buy and sell online and they will make the donation for you. This is what I have been doing for my son’s school, I shop and they donate.
I don’t agree. For a school to be successful they need to raise money through these fundraisers. They are a NECESSARY evil. Don’t you think if they could they would stop doing them. Now more then ever they are needed so that your kids can have a succesful education and safe and fun building to be in. Everyone should pull their fair share and help out. I am sure the school isn’t asking you to sell $200 in product. If each kid were to sell a few items the school can have a really successful sale and stop having to keep badger the kids parents over and over again.
Katy…I have planned many fundraising events in my lifetime for various organizations, and I’m sorry to tell you, there are better ways. Tomorrow my son gets to sit in a classroom while two students from his class get to go outside and have a party with bouncers and games. All because their parents sold enough cookie dough. That is a necessary evil? Teaching segregation? Teaching capitalism? I think not. You are not teaching anything but those whose parents have more money or more friends get more rewards. That is not equality and it does not teach anything useful.
I’ve volunteered over and over to assist in fundraising efforts with my son’s school only to be snubbed by the PTO clique. If they were truly interested in fundraising and education they would find a way to make the two work together in a positive way, not a necessary evil.