Whose job is it to raise money for schools? Some people will say the parents, but a bunch of people will argue that the city and state should. A few weeks ago there was a great Op-Ed piece in The New York Times written by a mom who was fed up with her city and state for not providing necessary funding for her kids’ school in upper Manhattan. But this growing problem isn’t just happening in her school or her great state of New York. States across the country are relying on parents to pick up the slack. California makes more and more cuts every year and our children are getting less and less of a well rounded education – unless the parents step in and come to the rescue! We have to be super heroes for our kids!
It feels like a rite of passage to fundraise for our kid’s schools. Sure, we make some good friends, use some of our expertise from pre-kid days and are able to make a huge difference at the school. But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should have to. My school is doing pretty well, but we are dependent on what we can bring in as a community. We fall into the middle class – we make too much to get state funding, but don’t have endless amounts of money to fund everything the school needs. Certainly some of these things we fundraise for should be covered by the school district.
I’ve put on costumes, cajoled parents into bringing auction items in, made phone calls, begged, pleaded and done just about everything except tap dance to raise money for our school (but I’d do that too, if it would help). Sometimes, that’s what it takes.
But should parents have to do all that to get the support in the classroom that our kids need? Shouldn’t a well-rounded education be important to the states – since these are future voters? How can the states do this to our children? And how can the school districts, cities and states expect the parents to keep doing more, when they themselves do less and less?
In California, we have a governor who is older, and not necessarily thinking about the kids. We have a young mayor, with a toddler, so school isn’t in the forefront of his mind. When Schwarzenegger was governor, he didn’t care about fixing public schools since they didn’t affect his kids who attended private school. No one seems to have the guts to take LAUSD apart and start over since it would upset the teacher’s union. But who is watching out for our kids?
When will the mayors and governors of our cities and states take a stand for the kids? How much more can parents be expected to do? I’m hopeful that Eric Garcetti has a plan for education and can find a way to fix the existing problems in California and specifically the Los Angeles Unified School District.
So what do you think? Are you tired of wearing the super hero cape and making calls all in the name of money for your school? What are you going to do to make some change happen in your city/state? Share with me in the comments and let’s help each other!
To your success,
Sarah aka The Get Squad Girl
Sarah has been fundraising for schools since 2008. She is the author of A Mom’s Guide to School Fundraising and has consulted for several schools and clubs. She has been featured on US News & World Report, RetailMeNot.com, Scholastic: Parent & Child and The New York Times. She thinks all kids should be able to have a well-rounded education, team uniforms, instruments and support. Don’t you?