Word: pta
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Teresa Meyer, a former PTA president at Hickman High in Columbia, Mo., has just sent the youngest of her three daughters to college. "They made it very clear: You are not invited to the registration part where they're requesting classes. That's their job." She's come to appreciate the please-back-off vibe she's encountered. "I hope that we're getting away from the helicopter parenting," Meyer says. "Our philosophy is 'Give 'em the morals, give 'em the right start, but you've got to let them go.' They deserve to live their own lives...
...many parents, the PTA - with its name recognition and history of reliable annual fundraisers - is the natural first line of defense. In Castro Valley, Calif., for example, Proctor Elementary's PTA raised $17,000 during the 2008-09 school year through a walkathon, an auction and a $60-per-child suggested contribution to the PTA. The group was able to put that money toward the salary of a paraprofessional whose job was endangered. "The state is supposed to provide the black-and-white essentials of a good education, and the PTA fills in the color," says California state PTA president...
Still, many parent-teacher organizations are uncomfortable with the idea of getting so heavily involved with such vital financial issues. The National PTA, which claims 26,000 chapters, discourages its members from going too far. "Parents should not have to raise money to underwrite staff salaries," says Charles J. Saylors, president of the National PTA. "That's the responsibility of the local government. They should not be balancing their budgets on the backs of parents." (See pictures of the college dorm's evolution...
Sure, but try telling that to a parent who fears that her child's teacher is going to get downsized. Suny Bruun, a mother of two in Winner, S.D., this summer bypassed the PTA and formed an independent parent fundraising group, Keeping Intelligent Determined Students (KIDS). Its goal is not only to raise money for the local school district but also to lower the amount of a $500,000 tax hike the town proposed to cover teacher and aide salaries. In early July, a radiothon raised $42,066 through donations ranging from $10 to $2,000, and the group...
...saving multiple jobs. Which is why some communities establish educational foundations. These nonprofits, typically staffed by volunteers, alumni and retired staff, take the university approach to fundraising: direct calls, mailings and appeals to former students, local businesses and even current staff. "This approach is different from relying on the PTA booster-club mentality," says Jim Collogan, president of the National School Foundation Association. "This says, We're going to get serious, find our alumni and talk to them about how to give back." (See 10 ways your job will change in the coming decade...