KS Mom:

Please print this out and hand a copy to your principal.

Dear Principal, I know you are feeling the squeeze of the budgett and I know your heart is in the right place trying to find the funds to keep programs going. We are faced with this same problem, as are most across the country.

But your PTO is not the answer. First, it's organizing document does not permit for this.

Next, the PTO is not a department under your control, but a seperate organization that is there to help you, mostly, with parental involvement. I know this latter part may seem a little harse and you knew that already, but sometimes in the heat of the moment it can be overlooked and forgotten.

Having a good working relationship with the PTO and the prinicpal is a must, and cooperation has to work both ways otherwise feelings get hurt.

Now allow me to propose a compromise that will require trust on both sides of this issue.

Instead of asking for a blank check or a huge check from your PTO, money they may or may not have, try bringing to them a request for a specific item. Please do this in writting. As an example our PTO provides additional funds for many of our after school tutoring activities. Some they don't. Each was requested to the PTO board seperately and debated. With limited funds for these activities, they determined a priority for them and allocated funds for those that were the most critical. Most of the funds supliment the grants, or budgets for the programs, one, a reading program, is completely paid for by the PTO and even staffed by volunteer parents.

The PTO can also by its existance assist you in obtaining money for programs. We have a couple of grants that require a seperate agency to provide a set amount of money to assist the program - without this offset the grant would not be awarded. The PTO is such a seperate agency and the amounts are minimal to the overall grant. Without that PTO someone would have to get out and find an area merchant willing to donate that amount (one is $700 and another is $400) or several merchants. I wonder who that someone would have to be without the PTO?

Maybe your PTO can help with grant writting, it may not be a bad idea for the PTO to think about paying for someone to go to a grant writting class or seminar.

I hope this helps you all to work together and can foster a new understanding of the rolls of each organization, the school and the PTO.

KS Involved Mom-- Does your organization have by-laws? If you do, look at them. You may be able to use them as a way of explaining to your principal why you can't move up board elections or distribute funds for next year at this time. Continue to hold your fundraisers. If your fundraisers make more money than expected then consider giving the excess for the principal's use. Michelle B. said that you need to decide, as a group, what you think is the best way to handle this situation. It is your school, not ours. She's right. I, personally, don't like the idea of just "handing over" funds to the principal without some idea of how, exactly, the monies will be spent, but this is a decision only your group can make.

Thanks so much for all the advice you have given! The latest on this situation is after the recent meeting between himself, site council and the PTO board, he wants a check written to the general fund to be used at his disgression!! He is asking us for $20,000 which we don't even have at the moment. The budget cuts won't be finalized until August! When it was pointed out that this board wouldn't be able to make that decision, he tried sweet talking this board into remaining. When that didn't work, he wanted us to move up officer elections by the next meeting when he will be presenting his plan to the body. When it was suggested that the school itself hold a fundraiser it was ignored and the board was told what a good job they do fundraising! Now the board is running scared and talking about canceling the remaining events for the school year so we can hand over a check. HELP! Does anyone have any advice as to what the principal can and can not ask for?

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Teachers & Principals

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States Send Millions Back to Feds!
Lack of Federal Funds? Not Really.
by Suzanne Heath, Research Editor, Wrightslaw

Print this page
One complaint we frequently hear in discussions about improving educational outcomes is the "lack of federal funding" complaint. We hear that states are doing the best they can with the meager federal education funds they receive.

This argument assumes that:

running a successful educational system is inefficient; and

it is cheaper to do ineffective things that leave many children behind.
Now we learn that the inadequate federal funding complaint is a myth.

In an article that received far less attention than it deserves, Associated Press reporter Nancy Zuckerbrod found that every state returned federal education funds to the U.S. Treasury last year, rather than spend these funds on education.

Some states returned millions of dollars. Check your state

Are you a

Teacher,
Parent,
Superintendent,
School board member,
Principal, or
Special education director?
Could your school or school district have used that federal education money?

Are you a taxpayer who must now pay additional state taxes to make up for the federal dollars your state sent back to Washington?

Do you want this to happen again?

If the answer is "no," contact the people in your state who are responsible for these decisions. Tell them that:

their complaints about inadequate federal funding are not credible, and
you expect them to spend the federal funds they receive on programs that benefit children in your state.

State Funds Returned
Alabama $1,517,152
Alaska $396,396
American Samoa $901,109
Arizona $3,013,975
Arkansas $56,241
California $1,680,554
Colorado $912,933
Connecticut $915,805
Delaware $522,817
District of Columbia $3,077,389
Florida $3,525,865
Georgia $3,643,267
Guam $968,860
Hawaii $229,132
Idaho $241,109
Illinois $1,052,991
Indiana $1,485,081
Iowa $337,920
Kansas $79,947
Kentucky $374,989
Louisiana $6,060,902
Maine $31,579
Mariana Islands $77,922
Maryland $1,772,645
Massachusetts $126,313
Michigan $5,093,607
Micronesia $364,604
Minnesota $116,408
Mississippi $793,899
Missouri $4,696,297
Montana $279,013
Nebraska $271,161
Nevada $685,696
New Hampshire $233,702
New Jersey $3,447,871
New Mexico $6,215,135
New York $1,653,779
North Carolina $80,381
North Dakota $1,062,722
Ohio $580,218
Oklahoma $451,311
Oregon $692,200
Palau $65,488
Pennsylvania $3,457,847
Puerto Rico $38,636,034
Rhode Island $37,488
South Carolina $372,997
South Dakota $131,527
Tennessee $3,869,768
Texas $11,007,911
Utah $108,715
Vermont $18,258
Virginia $3,452,832
Virgin Islands $2,038,587
Washington $424,657
West Virginia $118,118
Wisconsin $465,247
Wyoming $386,579

Source: U. S. Department of Education

Links

Article by AP reporter Nancy Zuckerbrod in the Detroit News


State contacts and accountability information for all states

See also NCLB Information Directories

---

Meet Sue Heath
Sue Heath of Hollis, New Hampshire, is the research editor for Wrightslaw.

In addition to writing about creative advocacy strategies in Doing Your Homework, Sue is co-author of Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind (ISBN: 1-892320-12-6) that is published by Harbor House Law Press.

Sue is also webmaster for the New Hampshire Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and membership chair of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).

Local Parents Learn About New Law (Hampton Union)

Copyright © 2002-2004 by Suzanne Heath.


Here is a copy of that report. Hope this helps.

Renee

Renee,
I've read somewhat the same thing about federal money being returned. I've also read that a lot of the money is returned because there is SO much red tape that it gets to be too hard to get the money. Now that might sound like a cop out, but I know that our District doesn't have an individual that can spend the time to jump thru all of the hoops just to be CONSIDERED for a grant. It is one of those political things that the government can say, "Look at all of this money not being used by schools".
Not to touch upon another hot topic, but the No Child left behind act is one of those types of political catch 22s. More money is promised, not given, to schools that are failing or underachieving. Two schools in my state are supposed to be recieving funds and two years later are still waiting.....

Tim,

I would be very interested in reading that but the page has been removed or moved by that web site.

Dave