Dear Poinsettia Parents and Teachers,
The PTO will have its last meeting of the year, Tuesday, May 15 from 6:30 to 8pm. Child care will be provided. We hope you will be able to attend.
At this meeting, the PTO Board will present its proposed budget. We advocate fundamental changes to how to PTO raises and spends money. Download a copy of the budget so that you may study it in advance of the meeting.
With the success of this year’s Jog-a-Thon — for which we owe a debt of gratitude to Terry Weaver — we’re expecting that next year’s Jog-a-Thon will raise even more. By moving it to the fall, we hope the excitement of the new year will carry over into excitement for the Jog-a-Thon. But it also means ending the Non-Event. We don’t feel it’s appropriate to ask parents to donate for the Non-Event and then ask them to donate to the Jog-a-Thon.
We’re expecting a much smaller Silent Auction. This year’s came in well below budget because of a lack of interest in chairing the event. We’ve yet to find anybody to chair the next Silent Auction. We may have to change the Silent Auction, schedule it separately from the Carnival, or consider dropping it altogether. In the past it raised $12-$13,000. Last year it raised about $6700. Next year, we’re hoping it makes $2500.
2011-2012 PTO Expenses, and 2012-2013 Proposed Expenses
The most profound spending change we are proposing is paying for a librarian for 20 hours/week, rather than 10 hours of a librarian plus 28 hours of a computer teacher. We would spend some of the savings on library supplies, to increase its value as a literacy resource to our students, and so that parents won’t have to buy every Wimpy Kid or How to Train Your Dragon book. We would buy classroom supplies in bulk, so that teachers don’t have to ask parents to buy Kleenex at retail prices, or so that nobody on campus must struggle with the notorious pencil sharpeners. There are other changes, too, but those are the biggies.
The Board does not make these proposals lightly. We feel strongly that it is a mistake to spend 80% of our budget on salaries before raising even a single dollar. It puts our budget on a shaky footing, and depresses the involvement of both parent and teacher volunteers. We think 50% of our budget is a reasonable target. Unfortunately, we can not meet that target while paying for two positions. As difficult as these changes are, we feel that with our proposed budget, we’re doing the best we can to provide value to students, teachers, and parents.
It is not our intention to approve a budget that does not reflect the priorities of the parents and teachers. At the meeting, the budget will be presented and discussed, and members will be able to propose changes to the spending. Those items will be voted on, with a majority required to make each amendment. Once the amendments are made, that revised budget will be put to a vote, and if a majority votes for it, that will be the approved budget for the 2012-2013 school year.
It is my hope that the budget we approve on Tuesday will be embraced by parents and teachers alike, and will encourage greater participation by both in the coming years. I hope you will join us at the meeting to help make that a reality.
Thank you,
Mike Johnson
President, Poinsettia PTO
