Kids Back to School? How to Deal with Fundraisers!
I'm In Debt
- Posted:
9/13/2008
I'm not sure if all schools in the United States are similar, but my son has attended two different schools and each time, the fundraiser stuff is sent home almost before they are assigned a desk to sit at! I understand the need for schools to raise money, and I can remember participating in fundraisers as a kid, too - but not to the extent that my son is asked to participate.
Last year, he was a kindergartner. I believe he was sent home with about 9 different fundraisers over the course of the year, all with catalogs of "stuff" to sell: overpriced wrapping paper and gifts, candy, and food items. In addition to these organized fundraisers, he was also sent home monthly book club order forms (orders from these result in the classroom earning free books),4 spaghetti dinners to help raise money for the annual trip to the zoo (which parents still had to pay around $50 a ticket even after buying spaghetti dinners!), etc. I also ended up buying a recipe book with proceeds going to the school, and a supply list for his classroom that cost me over $70 at the start of the year (baby wipes, crayons, glue, scissors, folders, ziplock bags, markers....)
It really makes me question where the school tax money goes. If parents are asked to supply the classroom with just about all the supplies they need for the year (can they really need that many crayons every year from every student?) where is the money going that homeowners are paying in the form of school taxes? The kids don't get the supplies back at the end of the year, so what happens to the things that don't get old right away? The crayons? Are they throwing them away at the end of each school year?! And what about scissors? I realize some will get lost, but if every year kids are asked to buy new scissors that remain in the classroom for shared use... what happens to the scissors when the new school year starts? We can't re-use those either?!)
This year, my son is in a new school (we moved) for first grade. They are having the Scholastic Book Fair this month, and will participate in the book club order forms each month, too. One of the parents at the bus stop was talking about an upcoming fundraiser and I can't help but wonder if I'll be asked to buy more overpriced wrapping paper and chocolate every month again.
I've already decided we aren't going to participate in every fundraiser this year, and I don't feel an ounce of guilt about it, either. I know there are some parents who do every fundraiser and activity offered at school- but I also know there are some families who don't do anything at all! I hope to find a happy medium. After all - if I buy something from every fundraiser, only a small percentage of those purchases are actually helping the school. I can think of other ways to benefit my child's school that would be worth more than the few cents they earn from each of my fundraiser purchases:
* Volunteering to help at school functions and in the classroom
* Chaperoning field trips and events as needed
* Donating money directly to the school or classroom (the entire donation will benefit the school, rather than a few cents from a purchase of a fundraiser item)
* Linking my Upromise account to the school
* Paying more attention to the Tools for Schools programs and other programs that result in money to the school just for purchasing certain brands of food items during my normal grocery shopping
I think I will select two fundraisers to participate in with my son each school year, and then look for other ways to help him and his school that are more useful. If you feel the strain and pressure from having school-aged children with an unending supply of fundraisers - just pick and choose. You can be an involved and supportive parent without wasting your money.
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