"Parents go all out to aid schools; But some doubt wisdom of fund-raising for fundamentals" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | June 7, 2010
ARLINGTON — Time was, parents would hold bake sales or sell refreshments at school football games to raise money for local schools. But with public schools under financial duress, private fund-raising groups are launching far more ambitious campaigns.
It’s not uncommon now to auction off big-ticket items at fancy galas and send out massive direct-mail appeals. And the money raised, traditionally earmarked for extra items outside the school budget, is increasingly put toward the basics — such as staff salaries....
The Arlington campaign signals public schools’ growing dependence on private donations, educators and parents say....
The Lexington Education Foundation, for instance, donated well over $400,000 last year, twice as much as in 2004. In Wellesley, organizers have raised more than $1 million in less than four years, while Wayland has donated $1.3 million in the past seven. Cohasset parents are close to completing a $220,000 drive for two new language labs, while grants to Falmouth schools have tripled since 2006.
Aren't those all the RICH NEIGHBORHOODS?
Fund-raisers acknowledge that pressure is growing to pay for general expenses....
Public schools? What public schools?
And WHERE is all the TAX LOOT going?
Supporters of private donations, primarily parents of school-age children, say they feel obligated to stave off budget cuts that might compromise their children’s education, even if they grumble about the extra burden. If they can prevent their child’s classroom from losing an aide or gaining six more students, it’s worth it, they say.
The STATE of Massachusetts and its looting government thank you.
But critics sound a cautionary note. Private donations, which have risen as school systems threaten to lay off teachers and eliminate academic programs, deepen financial inequalities among districts, create a culture of dependence, and splinter the social compact to share the costs of local schools, they say.
“It gets away from the true notion of a public education,’’ said Rosemary Driscoll, president of the Natick Education Foundation, one of some three dozen such nonprofits across the state. “But I think the pressure is only going to get greater and greater.’’
And that is why the AGENDA-PUSHING Globe put it on the front page!
Like most school foundations, Natick’s has been careful not to pay for primary expenses, such as teacher salaries. But Arlington’s campaign targets core costs, chiefly teacher salaries and benefits. It’s a break with tradition that many view with trepidation....
I'm tired of the Globe s*** spin, readers.
I'm sorry.
Organizers in Arlington share their reluctance, but say that with the district facing a budget hole of nearly $4 million, practical concerns outweigh principle.
That's how nations and societies are destroyed.
And SINCE WHEN?
TAXES are STILL BEING RAISED!
“It’s the last thing we wanted to do,’’ said Amy Speare, a key organizer. “This really should be spread across all taxpayers. But this is an extreme situation, and people want to help.’’
Parents launched the campaign in late April, and have raised some $425,000, recently receiving $20,000 in donations per day. Administrators, who plan to eliminate well more than 50 staff positions and all crossing guards, say they will use the contributions to minimize layoffs.
Despite the schools’ budget woes, town leaders have chosen not to bring a tax-increase measure to voters given the poor economy. But organizers of the fund, named “Bridge The Gap’’ to emphasize its short-term nature, say the town shouldn’t get used to private donors coming to its financial rescue.
“We’re committed to this being a one-time deal,’’ Marie Meteer, a lead organizer of a $1 million drive in Arlington, said.
In Winchester, parents raised well over $800,000 in 2005 and 2006 combined to minimize teacher layoffs after two tax-increase measures failed at the polls....
Despite such reluctance, many see Arlington’s effort as a harbinger of similar campaigns. If a prosperous town like Arlington resorts to passing the hat to keep teachers and crossing guards, other communities are sure to follow.
In other words, RICH KIDS will still go to a NICE SCHOOL!
As for the rest of you, you are getting a real-world education.
“The old rules of the game no longer apply,’’ said Alan Fanger, a Needham parent who has urged town leaders to allow private donations to combat budget woes. “It’s a difficult pill for some people to swallow, but the existing system is no longer workable in the current fiscal environment.’’
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That's why, taxpayers. That's where your money is going.
Some communities have previously turned down private donations for school operating expenses, worried that such gifts could create budget havoc or result in an unhealthy dependence on private money. In 2006, the Newton schools returned $50,000 meant to pay the salary of a fifth-grade teacher. The previous year, the school board in Wellesley turned down $380,000 from parents seeking to save a popular Spanish language program.
“It’s never a good idea to fund something like teachers with soft money, since there’s no guarantee it will be there next year,’’ Skye Morrison Kramer, who directs the Brookline Education Foundation, said. “It’s not a good precedent to set.’’
Many note that private fund-raising, even in the wealthiest and most generous towns, can provide only a small fraction of overall spending.
Now don't go telling me it is not a good idea after spending the whole article promoting the f***ing thing, Globe!
“Private fund-raising can never really bridge the gap,’’ Deborah Rourke, co-president of the Lexington Education Foundation, said.
But parents often feel they have no choice but to try. Jon Carson, CEO of BiddingForGood, an online auction service in Cambridge, said groups are holding more-lucrative events in response to the growing need for private funds.
I noticed the WARS, WALL STREET, and ISRAEL were FULLY FUNDED!
“How many bake sales can raise $150,000?’’ he asked. “If the tax base won’t absorb it, parents have to go this way.’’
Yet the more parents take upon themselves, many say, the more others will depend on them,
“You can see people thinking, ‘If they are good at raising money, why should we give it to them?’ ’’ said Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. By the same token, private donations can show the value of staving off budget cuts, he said.
