We don't pay for the entire trip...we also ask for parent help...our last trip was to a play at our district theatre and of course because it was local the PTO did pay for transportation but the parents paid two dollars for the tickets and another trip I know the parents contributed $12.00 per child. So our PTO only pays for a portion.
ecajan11;130022 wrote: Our principal has been telling us that they are planning on going on field trips. It is going into April and we haven't heard where and when they are going. Our budget is very low and we want to have funds to begin next year also. We have a fundraiser going on at this time to help raise money for the field trip.
What do other PTO's pay for when it comes to field trips? They expect us to pay for bussing and the trip itself. After looking into the cost, it is way over our budget. Do other PTO's ask parents for funds?
We allot $10 per student. Generally, that covers most trips and busses. If a grade/class needs more, then the executive board usually finds a way, as long as it's not absurd. If need be, the classes will host a mini-fundraiser to cover anything extra.
Most classes don't utilize the whole amount, so it all evens out in the end. Now, we are a school of roughly 1000 (961 to be exact) so our fundraisers are usually big enough to cover the costs.
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
We give $100 per classroom. However, this year our new principal did not want us to pay. We certainly weren't going to argue with saving our hard earned money.
OUr PTO pays for the bus(gas) and driver costs for the trips. It varies per grade--some grades need 2 buses and they go farther so they get more money--this year we are paying between $125-$250 per grade K-4 for field trips--it usually averages about $1000 per year for end of the year field trips. Parents pay all ticket, admission costs for the trip.
Does your state have a tax credit program for your schools? In Arizona, we have a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $400 for married couples filing jointly. This tax credit program for public schools is only to be used for extracurricular activities such as field trips, musical instruments, art supplies, etc. When you donate you can be very specific about what you want the money spent on (i.e., 2nd grade field trip to the zoo). Every dollar that you donate is given back to you or applied to state taxes that you owe. That has been a huge boon for our field trips! As a PTO, we promote this program and encourage parents to use it. In the case of my family, we divide our donation between the classes of our two children.
Also, we have quite a few family events that are free to our families (movie nights, math/science night, etc.). Our teachers can use these events as fundraisers for their classes to supplement their field trip expenses. For instance, the PTO will have a movie night and provide admission, popcorn, and drink for free. Then there might be different classes selling hot dogs, pizza, or holding a bake sale. I send an email out to our teachers a few weeks before an event so they know what the pto is doing. We've done this several times over the last couple of years and it's worked out very well.
