At+Wealthy+Schools,+PTAs+Help+Fill+Budget+Holes+-

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/nyregion/at-wealthy-schools-ptas-help-fill-budget-holes.html?pagewanted=all

Wiki post Nancy Brown

“WAY BEYOND BAKE SALES: THE $1 MILLION PTA”

Are some public schools semi-private? This article is a great example of how race, class and economic ability fosters continued privilege.

Depending on the zip code, a tell tale sign of privilege and oppression, the fund raising ability of the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA's), allows some public schools to use their dwindling piece of the government funds pie for budgetary items allowed by the department of education and use raised funds for those items no longer affordable. Schools with high needs students have access to funds that gifted or high scoring students, at the other end of the needs spectrum, do not. Parents have been successful fundraising, some schools raise over $1,000,000. This may increase the disparity from school to school but Dennis M Walcott, New York City's school chancellor said “he was well aware of the disparity issue but did not want to penalize parents for getting involved.” This money has restrictions, such as hiring teachers. But the money has been used for field trips, materials for projects, computers, library books, specialty teachers, etc.

Should the PTA's in districts that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars share the money with other less wealthy districts? Who would decide which schools and which projects would share their funds?