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The trouble with fundraising
A group of parents and teachers in Vancouver have published this letter which talks about the problems with fundraising in schools. They give three problems and refer in passing to a fourth.
1. They don't like taking advantage of children's vulnerability, especially when the children put pressure on their own families - which may be struggling financially - to contribute.
2. They view public schools as being under-funded and think that raising funds for the school takes the pressure off school boards and governments to properly fund schools.
3. They point to the unfair disparity that arises because schools in wealthy neighbourhoods can raise more money than schools in poor neighbourhoods.
4. In passing, they refer to the fact that fundraising events often take place in schools during school hours.
I agree with all of these points, although I think that they shouldn't be blaming the provincial government for school underfunding, since provincial expenditures on education rise every year even as enrolment declines. I think the issue with underfunding at the school level is mainly down to the school boards to whose fingers more and more money is sticking on its journey from the province to the schools. As for school fundraising taking the pressure off the school board to let more of the money through, I'm not convinced that a lever exists that can cause the school boards to change their ways. Better just to abolish the school boards and give all of the provincial money directly to the schools.
I would also add a fifth point, namely that the lack of scrutiny and accounting systems for fundraised money makes it likely that there will be cases where some of the money is embezzled, especially at schools in wealthy neighbourhoods where the takings can be quite hefty.
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