tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post6774416071599351612..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: PTA socialism? Not in CMSUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-1309669969490151652012-09-14T15:29:34.759-04:002012-09-14T15:29:34.759-04:00Gateway , correct I am a vocal parent at BW school...Gateway , correct I am a vocal parent at BW school and support the PTA. I also support the teachers in my direct kids classroom more. BW has a strong PTA group and from what I see its funded very strongly. A PTA should certainly use the funds given on a annual basis as well. Only issue with that is the PTA may buy things that CMS was planning to fund down the road and downtown is giving no credit for that so you lose as a school. Their are schools today trying to fund technology for schools. Thats a state or county item to be handled within budgets. Thats not a PTA $500,000 agenda item. It takes a lobbyist to achieve these items from Mrs. Perdue today and CMS fired their lobbyist 3 years ago. I trust the schools I dont trust downtown. Keith W. HurleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-69811011369246761432012-09-14T10:05:58.393-04:002012-09-14T10:05:58.393-04:00PTA's are not suppose to carry funds over from...PTA's are not suppose to carry funds over from year to year! I don't know about PTO's or other organizations only a PTA. The money donated by families are suppose to be used to benefit the children in that fiscal year. It's fine to want to support your child and their teacher, but where do you think the big ticket items are going to come from? Your children are certainly benefiting are they not by the parents willing to give to the PTA? I can only speak from my experience in our PTA and frankly I don't understand some of the comments on this thread. Obviously things are done differently in some of the schools. And Keith, if I am not mistaken, aren't you a parent at Beverly Woods? From what I understand, they are a strong, committed group of parents and parent leaders. Gateway 25noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-64892369759427808612012-09-14T08:43:12.675-04:002012-09-14T08:43:12.675-04:00Jeff, If I give to my classroom teacher directly I...Jeff, If I give to my classroom teacher directly I know my child is benefiting. The teacher buys learning materials CMS wont provide her. If I give to PTA it might be spent this year or next on something my child would never use. So Wiley is correct that "funding our teachers needs" is a more effective way to use dollars. In small amounts its more direct. CMS does not provide these teachers the tools they want to grow education. Keith W. HurleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-15048109364030850062012-09-13T23:04:34.243-04:002012-09-13T23:04:34.243-04:00Jeff,
Giving money to "causes" versus t...Jeff,<br /><br />Giving money to "causes" versus to a classroom teacher are two different issues as you well know.<br /><br />Like others here, it didn't take my wife and I but one fundraiser to realize trying to be part of the PTA - for us - was not how we wanted to spend our time and resources.<br /><br />Unending fundraising that returned little on time spent and investment.<br /><br />So we gave directly to our son's teacher each year in elementary school and into middle school when needed.<br /><br />We'd buy paper, pencils, tissues, etc. and when there was a field trip and a cost was involved, we always told the teacher that if any child could not go due to lack of funds, we would pay for it. That happened several times.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-35537965565766181152012-09-13T21:52:59.135-04:002012-09-13T21:52:59.135-04:00God I cant wait to get out of education. Will the ...God I cant wait to get out of education. Will the last super and administrator with any common sense please take down the flag and turn out the lights.<br /><br />Minority births now outnumber.In the next twenty years it will not even be called school.What will all the talking heads do then?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-60884566090506945362012-09-13T21:46:50.289-04:002012-09-13T21:46:50.289-04:008:37
Mea culpa in failing to mention my PTO Presid...8:37<br />Mea culpa in failing to mention my PTO President experience in addition to my SLT experience? <br /><br />Since when were PTA's and SLT's completely independent of each other? Huh? Neither organization functions in a silo. PTA's go for separate grants from SLT's? Huh? Successful PTA's and SLT's have everything to do with each other. <br /><br />Just food for thought before sprouting off your ill-informed mantra.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-16543145123259794342012-09-13T21:16:40.563-04:002012-09-13T21:16:40.563-04:00Interesting the number of you with the ability to ...Interesting the number of you with the ability to contribute would refuse simply because your perception of how the money would be spent. <br /><br />When I give money to causes I always ask where the money goes and I generally follow up and sometimes even pull an organization's 990 form to make sure they're handling their money properly.<br /><br />So much for wanting the best for our students.<br /><br />Jeff Wisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-15002490156974258402012-09-13T21:08:29.337-04:002012-09-13T21:08:29.337-04:00I'm a former PTO President AND School Leadersh...I'm a former PTO President AND School Leadership Team member. I beg to differ but my PTO and SLT experience had everything to do with each other.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-76434827866404057072012-09-13T20:58:29.479-04:002012-09-13T20:58:29.479-04:00For all my conservative friends screaming socialis...For all my conservative friends screaming socialism, please note that the Teapublican charter school bill as originally written would have had the public schools having to share PTA collections, atheletic gate receipts, and student nuitrition and bus funding to the charter schools based the number of kids enrolled in them from their parent schools regardless of whether the charter school offered meals, buses, or athletic teams. You can repeat the urban legend that rich PTA's are forced to redistribute to poor schools, but this law would have taken money raised by and for students and sent it to schools run for by profit corporationsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-39448937593480377382012-09-13T20:37:50.980-04:002012-09-13T20:37:50.980-04:00Alicia, As i am sure your group never had large do...Alicia, As i am sure your group never had large donors. If I go to a local company as I have and get a $50,000 donation for iPads for my kids specific school CMS would not allow this. They want the $50k to go downtown then they also want me to set up a lunch with said client so they can start a relationship with them. I am not talking about $100- I am talking about serious take over donors like LIFT. Your SLT experience has nothing to do with PTA. SLT goes for grants completely separate from PTA donations. GET A CLUE PRIOR TO SPOUTING THAT MOUTH !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-53611813930485065482012-09-13T20:03:28.440-04:002012-09-13T20:03:28.440-04:00Ann,
Thanks for clearing up this misinformation.
...Ann,<br />Thanks for clearing up this misinformation.<br /><br />As a former CMS School Leadership Team member, I don't recall CMS ever taking money from a PTA/PTO for "redistribution". <br /><br />I suspect the confusion over this matter has to do with CMS's defunct Equity Committee which seemed hell-bent on pitting wealthier and less affluent schools against each other during the aftermath of CMS's fiasco called "The Choice Plan". Installing donated ballet barres on a cafe-gym-atorium suburban school stage shouldn't have required a near Act of Congress.<br /><br />- Alicia Durand<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-48596483167452077112012-09-13T19:52:16.415-04:002012-09-13T19:52:16.415-04:00This article is interesting because this "rum...This article is interesting because this "rumor" was going on back when I served as a PTA President several years ago. PTA's (those associated with the National Organization) have strict guidelines as to how funds may be allocated and spent. Sharing them among PTA's is not one of them. Read the by laws if you care so much.It's pretty black and white. If some of you on here are complaining about how funds are spent, then get involved instead of complaining about it! Donate your time to serve on a board and make decisions. And for the person who commented they have no voice in how funds are spent? Totally untrue. That is why meetings happen three times a year by by laws so members can look at and review the budget, comment and vote. But let's face it, most are apathetic and don't care enough. So others will make those decisions for you. Another point: PTA's work in conjunction with their schools but they are a separate organization for a reason! It is not to do the school's bidding or CMS's...it is to provide support whether it is to teachers, curriculum materials and supplies, student enhancement projects, and yes technology.Our PTA always had a great working relationship with the school and listened to what the needs were. It's called doing what is best for the kids. Try lobbying your state representatives to allocate more money towards education rather than throwing your PTA's/PTO's under the bus. Gateway 25noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-66714984691505365352012-09-13T19:47:12.424-04:002012-09-13T19:47:12.424-04:00Anonymous @7:04, believe me there are people who d...Anonymous @7:04, believe me there are people who donate to these campaigns. last year they school unsuccessfully aimed to raise 70k. didn't even hit 30k; this followed by the fun run where the company gets the majority of the money are why we don't contribute! believe that there are those we donate direct to the teachers. teachers are too afraid to confirm or deny this!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-40351596844877075442012-09-13T19:39:39.910-04:002012-09-13T19:39:39.910-04:00At the recent Meck PTA meeting one speaker actuall...At the recent Meck PTA meeting one speaker actually suggested that wealthier PTA's should be forced to "redistribute their wealth."<br /><br />We're not required to, but I can see where that "urban legend" comes from.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-33313913368555315702012-09-13T19:04:26.836-04:002012-09-13T19:04:26.836-04:00Anonymous at 5:57 PM,
No you will not. Some paren...Anonymous at 5:57 PM,<br /><br />No you will not. Some parents - mainly the upper class - always says comments like that..."I'll give my teacher a $50 gift card before I ever help the PTA!" Oh whine. We've had too many schools to count try the 'ole "Donate as much as you can". The most a school brought in doing that that I worked at? About $400.00 No kidding. It was a ridiculous waste of time, very unproductive, and truth be told, we probably spent more than that on paper costs sending flyers home to remind parents - who never gave anyway!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-82632857922140173832012-09-13T17:57:26.700-04:002012-09-13T17:57:26.700-04:00This is why I don't support the PTA-I support ...This is why I don't support the PTA-I support my child's teacher. Teacher in the past who are too afraid to ask for paper since they used their $150 from the PTA already. Teachers who had teacher appreciation week cancelled by the PTA since they were considered not grateful enough. PTA that is having a contest between classes to 1. which class has the highest participation in the captial campaign and 2. which class raises the most money. Sorry, I'll hand my child's teacher a $50 Target gift card before I give a dime to the PTA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-72966805992657197802012-09-13T15:20:43.458-04:002012-09-13T15:20:43.458-04:00Wiley , some recent facts since CMS closed schools...Wiley , some recent facts since CMS closed schools and "redistributed" some title 1's all around. Current scores as measured- EOG Reading White 94% / African American 72.5% , Math White 97.1% AA 77.5% , Science White 94.4% AA 53.3%. Those are 1 schools numbers so not district wide. This is what CMS wont show you about the results of closing schools.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-89278732785351080692012-09-13T12:12:46.856-04:002012-09-13T12:12:46.856-04:00Wiley,
The "achievement gap" is a perma...Wiley,<br /><br />The "achievement gap" is a permanent feature of our society.<br /><br />We're just not honest enough to admit it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-79002993875906116662012-09-13T12:08:31.956-04:002012-09-13T12:08:31.956-04:00Put Mary Wilson in charge of distributing iPads. ...Put Mary Wilson in charge of distributing iPads. <br /><br />She'll even get them gift-wrapped.<br /><br />For the right folks...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-80854477799768985562012-09-13T11:47:25.519-04:002012-09-13T11:47:25.519-04:00Project LIFT is the equalizer it is effect a PTA. ...Project LIFT is the equalizer it is effect a PTA. They need no money from the southside PTA .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-49502470365339650742012-09-13T11:25:08.409-04:002012-09-13T11:25:08.409-04:00Parents- Agree to NOT fund any PTA in CMS. When th...Parents- Agree to NOT fund any PTA in CMS. When the beg just let them know that CMS has the money just call downtown. Shut off their funding we do enough with our County/State/Federal. LET CMS figure it out that enough is enough. They may have to close some more schools. Heck I may go lobby the state to give us tax credits for sending our kids to private schools since CMS does such a poor job. STOP FUNDING THE PTA CUT THEM OFF. I have already been hit up by PTA at a SLT meeting this year and ignored them. I pay over $100,000 in taxes a year you fund my school !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-69561370917066751222012-09-13T11:19:06.430-04:002012-09-13T11:19:06.430-04:00The have and have not argument is alive and well a...The have and have not argument is alive and well and will continue for at least as long as there is an achievement gap - at least for another 15 to 20 years....<br /><br />So much for eliminating "separate but equal".<br /><br />How many years has that been now?Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-53494943606279411372012-09-13T11:18:21.369-04:002012-09-13T11:18:21.369-04:00Our government practices Marxism in many ways. (Ka...Our government practices Marxism in many ways. (Karl Marx famous quote "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need (or needs) is a slogan popularised by Karl Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program. In the Marxist view, such an arrangement will be made possible by the abundance of goods and services that a developed communist society will produce; the idea is that, with the full development of scientific socialism and unfettered productive forces, there will be enough to satisfy everyone's needs."[2][3]<br /><br />This is precisely how our governments work at every level-they tax the income of working individuals are redistribute according to how the government officials see fit. <br /><br />South and North Charlotte pays most of the taxes, which are then redistributed to uptown, West and East Charlotte.<br /><br />In CMS, in 2011, Ballantyne Elementary students were funded at approx $4,000 per pupil, while Thomasboro was funded at more than $10,000 per pupil (Morgan School at $26,000 per pupil.) This scenario is repeated in middle and high schools-South and North Meck schools receive funding around $4500, while uptown, West and East receive closer to $10,000 per pupil. This is Marxism at its best, and very unfair to students who are treated with inequality of funding, while their parents pay the highest taxes. Not surprisingly, I could not find per pupil funding by CMS for 2012- except for the extremely deceptive figures around $8,000 per pupil- which is AVERAGE of least and most.<br /><br />I have heard many times parents from the west and east sides say that it is not fair that south Charlotte PTAs raise so much money, and it should be put in a central pool to be redistributed. These same west side citizens make comments as though South Charlotte students will get what they need from their paretns, so they should be given less in taxpayer funded resources.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-10448549247551633942012-09-13T11:08:27.351-04:002012-09-13T11:08:27.351-04:00In response to post at Sept 13 9:16am.
It's na...In response to post at Sept 13 9:16am.<br />It's natural for parents to be more involved with elementary kids. Young kids are more fun. Plus where else do they invest 6 years of their lives?<br /><br />In middle and high school there are many more expenses and fees for classes, clubs, sports, music,supplies, yearbooks, pictures, etc. that are charged individually. Plus kids get more expensive at home (food, clothes, cars) over time!<br />So the drop in general PTA donations may go down, but parent spending goes WAY UP.Namelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-27754327168680783702012-09-13T11:04:40.651-04:002012-09-13T11:04:40.651-04:00Hey Ghoul, back in the 80's Garinger was not a...Hey Ghoul, back in the 80's Garinger was not a "poor urban school." I know because I was there. Back then, Garinger was a middle class high school just like Independence. I don't remember anything being said about getting Independence's activity bus. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com