Tax PTA or PTO Donations? Ludicrous

Rant-time: This just may be the dumbest parent group-related proposal I’ve ever seen. The Seattle school district thankfully just canned a plan to charge PTOs and PTAs a 3.3% fee on donations. Yes, you read that right: a fee to donate.

by Tim Sullivan

10/14/2021

Rant-time: This just may be the dumbest parent group-related proposal I’ve ever seen. The Seattle school district thankfully just canned a plan to charge PTOs and PTAs a 3.3% fee on donations. Yes, you read that right: a fee to donate.

I think perhaps a thank you may have been a better idea.

I understand that the concept comes from official grant-giving circles. If a district applies for some fancy, official grant there is often so much paperwork and tracking and follow-up associated with the grant, that the grantors include an administrative fee in the grant to cover all that extra work. But a donation from the local PTO is a far, far cry from a donation from the Gates Foundation, and someone (everyone) at the Seattle school department should have seen that before this proposal ever got moving. Seriously – a tax on PTOs and PTAs? While we’re at it, how about we have the band parents pay an extra fee for donating new trumpets. Makes just as much sense.

Am I making too much of this? Glad to continue the discussion below or on our message boards.

PS – Don’t miss our parent involvement twitter party tonight (Wednesday) from 9-10 at #ptotchat

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