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Anna De La Cruz's avatar

The equity piece is huge. We've been at two public schools in Seattle, and the PTAs varied wildly in terms of both fundraising and ability to recruit volunteer time. The Title 1 school struggles and is even hesitant to fundraise from a population with a high percentage of low income and immigrant families, while the largely white, middle class school raises tens of thousands to pay for entire teaching positions and fancy gear. One approach some groups of schools in Seattle have pursued is to create fundraising alliances where there are joint fundraising initiatives and the funding is shared among a group of schools. Ideally our public schools would be fully funded and the PTA could be focused primarily on advocacy and volunteering!

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Cindy DiTiberio's avatar

I recognize the history of the PTA and the necessity given lack of funding. What I struggle with is that is still unpaid labor. And that there is often an undergirding pressure to contribute. I live in an area where it is near impossible to live without two incomes. We are all stretched too thin and the need for volunteers for things that sometime seem unnecessary (my schools are big on staff treats which I’m sure does boost staff morale some but requires a lot of organization not to mention baking) can get exhausting. I have found a way that volunteering works for me. I run the book fair each year which means one intense week and then I don't volunteer for anything else. But that definitely takes me away from my paid, freelance work. I wish that we could just send our kids to school without the constant barrage of forms and donations and requests.

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