Parent Associations raise money for schools

PS 234 is located in the West Village of Manhattan. It is a school that boasts a great arts program with music classes, art classes and dance. Their curriculum is based on inquiry. They study themes in depth in all grades focusing mainly on social studies and science. It is a highly sought after school and many families in the neighborhood are very proud of their school as well as the teachers at the school.

This being said, this is one of those rare public schools in the city where most of the zoned parents send their children to their neighborhood public school instead of sending them to a private school. I believe the reason for this is the Parents Association (PTA or PA). In a school like this one, the Parents Association raises close to a million dollars to fund many programs in the school. Another example is where my children go to school, PS 87 William Sherman located on the Upper West Side. According to the New York Times, 87% of families in the neighborhood chose to send their children to the their zoned school rather than a private school. This school also raises one million dollars a year to fund art programs, dance, chess, assistants for Kindergarten and First Grade teachers, Wellness programs like healthy cooking classes for the children as well as Fitness nights for the school families, and many more.

Because of the money fundraised, these schools are given opportunities that other schools in lower income neighborhoods do not get. The children in those schools are getting the bare minimum provided by the DOE. Some schools are without any enrichment activities, libraries and school outreach programs.

The rezoning attempts that have been made by the DOE in the last several years are to try and even out the money raised in these neighborhoods and to attract more families to these schools. Hopefully with these attempts, the academic achievement levels of these schools will increase. As a teacher, it would be so wonderful to work in a school that has extra funding and extra activities for the children in class to break up the day and energize their minds for other academic subjects. It could be something we think about as teachers in the future. What kind of fundraising can we help with in areas that need our help?