Parents pick up school tab: Fund raising in Michigan districts soars to $8 million to offset higher educational costs, less aid
The Detroit News
March 8, 2004
Across Metro Detroit, parent-teacher group leaders say they’re raising more money than ever to make up for reduced state funds to public schools and to offset rising costs. The first survey of fund raising by parent groups in Michigan shows that about 400 organizations that participated in the poll raised $8 million in 2002.
Some parents say they’re overwhelmed by constant fund-raising requests and that school officials should come up with more reliable long-term funding strategies. Researchers say the fund raising widens the gap between wealthy and poor districts, undermining a 1994 state law intended to gradually close the gap in per-pupil spending.
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Though Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s budget cuts have been least harsh on the state’s K-12 schools, districts still have been forced to cut spending on programs, from sports to technology.
The Legislature slashed school aid twice last year, amounting to more than $130 in cuts for each of the state’s 1.6 million public school students. In her proposed 2004-05 budget, Granholm recommended that per-pupil funding be restored to the $6,700 minimum. Lawmakers are expected to approve the budget in the next few months.
‘We still have inequities’
The 1994 law that restructured how the state pays for public education also hurt many higher-spending districts, particularly in the suburbs. Proposal A shifted state school funding from property taxes to sales taxes and prohibited districts from raising taxes to generate money for operating expenses. Districts can ask voters only for tax increases to build or renovate schools.
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Parents responded to the funding restrictions by creating education foundations and turning to booster organizations, such as PTOs, to raise money. Some say that takes parent-teacher groups too far from their original mission as advocates for students’ education. Others say it’s a last resort.
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While fund raising by these groups remains largely undocumented, parents, school officials and policymakers say it’s increasing at a maddening pace — so much so that some parents forgo fund-raising activities and give money directly to their child’s school.
“Some people would rather just write the check than sell things,” said Julie Brettschneider, a Birmingham resident with one child in middle school and another in high school.
Schools are beginning to put restrictions on fund raising, saying it is distasteful to ask parents to contribute to so many fund-raisers. Last year, Beer Middle School Principal Gary Walters asked booster groups to limit them.
“We only allow two major fund-raisers,” Walters said. “Otherwise, it turns into a fund-raising machine around here.”
$20,000 per school
For years, it has been difficult to track the volume of school fund raising and how much money parents raise. Last year, the Michigan Parent Teacher Student Association surveyed the approximate 600 schools with PTA chapters on the amount of money they raised in 2002 and how it was used.
The chapters that responded raised an average of $20,000 per school.
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The next survey, examining fund raising in 2003, is expected to be released in the next two weeks.
The National Parent Teacher Association released results of its first survey on fund raising last month. The association polled parents of children in 800 public schools. Thirty-nine percent of the parents polled said they contribute more than $100 to their kids’ classrooms each year. Eleven percent said they give more than $300 a year.
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Oser said the Michigan organization began polling members after noticing an increase in telephone calls requesting guidance on what the money raised could be used for. One school district’s parent-teacher group wanted to know if it could use its money to pay a science teacher’s annual salary, Oser said.
“The fact that they’re asking us these questions has made us real concerned,” Oser said. “It’s not appropriate to pay staff wages. Not to mention there are union regulations that would probably prevent this.”
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Revenue equity issues
Some researchers say the state should be held accountable for raising money for public schools.
“Some fund raising is going to go on in every environment, but schools shouldn’t be using funds to make up for revenues,” said Paul Reville, a Harvard University lecturer and executive director of the Center for Education Research and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth.
The surge in fund raising could widen the gap between wealthy and poor districts, because wealthier districts have more residents who can afford to support fund-raisers, said Michael Adonizzio, a Wayne state professor who has conducted research on the impact of fund raising at the school district level.
To restore revenue equity between districts, the state should consider cutting funding to districts that raise significantly more money on their own, he said.
“Eventually, if the fund-raising practice becomes more widespread, then it’s important that this information be recorded by the state and be taken into consideration when aid is distributed,” he said. “My hunch is that Michigan state government doesn’t know what’s going on in this area.”
Watkins, the state superintendent, said schools should not be penalized for finding other sources of funding, particularly at a time when their state funding — the primary source of revenue for all public school districts — is being slashed.
“I worry about a disincentive to bring private resources to a public concern,” Watkins said. “I want to celebrate a district that can get a contribution from the Skillman Foundation money or Gates Foundation. It’s a great benefit to the state. We have to be concerned about widening the gap, but we don’t want to build disincentive.”
You can reach Margarita Bauza’ at (248) 647-7402 or mbauza@detnews.com.
