thanks for that explanation! youre always very helpful.the boards here are lucky to have you surfing and contributing.
it sounds like once again (?) the 'middle class' gets squeezed, or , the short end of the stick.....all politics and $$$ and govt stuff i guess. i just dont understnad why a shcool with 80% free/reduced lunch program wouldnt qualify for title 1 school....guess i could ask our admin for that answer. i am sure they would be more than hhappy to be a title 1 from what it sounds like!
To the best of my knowledge it is all about economic status it was put in place to afford children at a disadvantage a level playing field on getting a quality education. So schools in poorer cities and towns are generally title 1 schools. Poor people can't pay the taxes to fund the school so the government kicks them the funding they need to operate the school. I have a friend that works at an inner city title 1 school and I can tell you the state funding they get is astronomical in comparison to what my school gets. But, my town is middle to upper middle class and the townsfolk can afford the taxes to support the school. So the funding we get is limited. Nonetheless we have staff members and administration members who apply for all kinds of grants and they get their fair share of them to pick up the slack where things fall short.
how do title-1 schools get that status? if funding is linked to that, you non-title 1 shcools, how is it that others get that status and you dont? is there anything the community or taxpayers can do to influence or is it federally mandated or state wide decision?
Volunteer - does your PTA/PTO not show or give a financial report or treasurer's report at meetings? If they do not then I think you do have a resonable reson to ask such questions. If they are in fact reposting each month to what money has come and gone then I am not sure what are you asking them any further? Do they not say "here is how much money came in from a,b,c and then here is what money was paid out to d,e,f and it was for g,h,i?" If they are doing that then what is your concern? Do they not vote at meetings on what money will be paid for?
Remember these parents are all volunteers and are doing these extra jobs in their "free-time", I use that phrase loosely because who of us actually has any real free-time?! Many parents do not realize the time it takes to do some of these jobs and yes, we are doing them at our own choice, no one is holding a gun to our heads, but still it is still OUR TIME. It is unreasonable for any parent to demand from another parent. If they are reporting where the money is going then why are you asking more of them? Is it that you just do not agree with how money is spent? Then vote "no" next time or offer some positive and productive input as to where a better place would be for the money to be used. You said you were told you were "off the PTA/PTO" well I cannot imagine that they removed you just beacuse you asked a question...
Hope you find a better place for yourself as you seem very out in left field.
mom2m&a...Wow that really is an unfair and tough situation. Have the parents ever considered getting together and challenging the BOE to do better? It seems like you may need a grass roots effort to make your BOE and your town do better by its children. Are there grants and special funding that they could be applying for that they are not? Or fight them to increase their budget to allow them to afford the things these children deserve from their education. It is certainly not an easy job but at the rate your going what will be cut next and then why would anyone want to move to or live in your town where the kids are getting short changed. It seems like your BOE and town are failing your children.
