PTA Fundraising Furthers Inequity
by Jackie Jainga Hyllseth, Quality Initiatives Director
The recent article in the Seattle Times, “As parents raise cash, schools confront big gaps“ was another example of how systemic disproportion plays out in our Seattle school district. The article revealed how PTAs in well resourced neighborhoods have the ability to raise enough funds to provide their schools with substantial resources, including hiring additional staff while other PTAs in the same district struggle to raise a tenth of what their counterparts can. It is no surprise that the PTAs who are able to raise large sums of money, are from the northern, wealthier neighborhoods in Seattle that are predominantly white and the PTAs that can only raise small amounts of money serve the highest percentages of child and youth of color in the district.
PTA fundraising goes way beyond the Valentine's Day bake sale.
When we think about finding solutions to these problems, we should think about how to change the systems that keep these practices in place. System change can help move us collectively towards more equitable practices. There are ways to think about reorganizing how we currently do business. For example, the article revealed that there is policy in place in Portland and Eugene that requires their districts to pool a portion of the funds raised by parents and equally distribute them to all schools. Some Washington districts have already taken the lead towards equitable change. The Bellevue school district recently stopped the practice of PTAs being able to fund teacher positions. These decisions and actions are moving large systems towards more equitable practices, demonstrating that it is possible.
