British Expatriate Network

Does anyone else get abit sick of this. Seems every 5 minutes the kids come home with yet another fund raiser. Drive me nuts. The schools seem to charge you for everything it seems.

Yea kid becomes a cheer leader and you are out of pocket $1,500.00 for the pleasure of having her representing her school. Seems to me if they want her they should cover the costs of outfits etc.

Ummm wonder where my school tax's go. I guess it pays for a school principle to sit around and do nothing lol

The money has to come from somewhere :!:
We were involved with the local school district, and I don't know of a principal who wasn't working all the regular hours and then some.
You don't want to pay more taxes.
You don't want to give to the fundraisers.
You don't want to buy your cheerleader's outfit.
Perhaps you should forbid her the cheerleading, then you can save a buck.

What on earth makes you think the principals sit around doing nothing? And have nothing better to spend money intended for education on that silly frilly outfits for the popular kids?

I think there is a problem in that some fundraisers have been "infiltrated" by companies pushing their products and the organizers are unwilling to take a stand, especilaly with all the freebies offered by the companies. I think there is also an image problem in the country as a whole, whereby only the most expensive equipment and uniforms are good enough for our little preciouses, so the cost of these things becomes extortionate. But paying for these things through fundraisers rather than direct contribution has the potential to allow all to participate on an equal footing rather than it being the rich kids and a few charity cases.

All three of our daughters were in the high school orchestra and in the band so my wife got involved and became the president of the Band and Orchestra Parents Association. The band needed new uniforms, the old ones had repairs over the repairs. She found that there are a limited number of companies that make the uniforms and so they are pricey. We were in an era of resistance to tax increases, so she challenged the board to find the second half of the money if the association raised the first half. With car washes and plant sales etc. we did it.

One thing to remember is that many places, the general population is interested in High school sports. I don't remember any adults turning out for school football games in England, but people pay to watch, here.

But this wouldn't be the case if people were willing to pay less and get less. It's not like band uniforms are an uncommon thing over here, if the demand for cheaper uniforms was there, it would be met.

The fundraisers I object to most are the candy ones. No-one needs that much candy. It's not good for you and it's extremely over-priced. BUT, you cannot opt out of these sales fundraisers and just make a donation eqivalent to the profit you are required to make, because the company will only offer the fundraiser to schools guaranteeing a certain number of sales......

Also the winter holiday catalogs which sell overpriced crap and wrapping paper made to NASA specifications with prices to match. You're going to tear the paper off, for goodness sake! It does not need to be atomic-weapon-resistant.

although because of the local law around here when you get to be 65 YOA your school taxas are frozen .

it is a problem I can sympathy with for those cought in the pay a lot now (taxas) and paya bit more later ( fund raising) syndrome .

frequently kids ( all ages ) from local schools knock on our door asking for donations for some school project or another, by buying candy , discount tickets for mac dees , pizza hut etc or mag subsciptions .or just asks for hard cash .

Can get to be annoying ....

my S.I L runs the drama classes for her school and evey play ( competition ) the students enter she has to hassle around for folks to help out making the costumes . my wife usually gets ropped in as she has dressmaking / quilting skills and we get to donate the fabric and her considerable time in making them .

the school of course gets the benefit if her students win any awards ( which they often do ) and never has there been even a* thank youfor you help* note from any administation of the school except naturally the sister who is family ...

so then the cycle begins again cus they win they go on to another usually state or national competiton and once again time and money has to be spend to assist the play croup to achieve more successs .

the only way to help stop the every repeating cycle is to quit supplying and making costumes . who wants to do that ..??

i presume those with children pertaking in sporting teams /tornaments would be in the same situation .....

education swallows up more and more taxpayers money every year and there dosnt seem to be a increase in the % of students who excell in anything academic .

yea taxes should provide enought .
but by the time the money filters down to buying equipment books , materials for the use of the students there isnt much left ...
funny thing is they ( the school boards ) always seem to have enought money to provide a place /room for those who want to socialize with only there *own sex * and go to great lengths to make sure there enjoyment of there * alternative lifestyle* is not impeded by lack of funds or resticted by rules / procedures ...

it would be NICE if those who choose this way of life provided there own .. space/equipment / supplies and not use taxes excessed to teach children the skills needed to succeed in the real world .

yea school taxes should provide enough .

but by the time the money filters down to buying equipment books , materials for the use of the students there isnt much left ...

funny thing is they ( the school boards ) always seem to have enought money to provide a place /room for those who want to socialize with only there *own sex * and go to great lengths to make sure there enjoyment of there * alternative lifestyle* is not impeded by lack of funds or resticted by rules / procedures ...

it would be NICE if those who choose this way of life provided there own .. space/equipment / supplies and not use taxes excessed to teach children the skills needed to succeed in the real world .
it seems to me the problem is with those in power ( school boards ) where there priorities lie .

Lets talk about cheer lead stuff. They want you to get equipment that they change after the very first year. Its not repaired and hand down to the next kid. Its totally new.

The cost of education here (Texas) is higher than its ever been with no change in ability. I would rather pay abit more tax and be done with it rather keep coming round every 5 minutes.

If you represent the school the school should account for that in their budget, yea cannot afford it don't enter.

Principles I do not have much time for when the teachers earn 50k a year and they sit on 200k.

How many kids get to be cheerleaders? How many kids care if the cheerleaders represent them? How many kids believe the cheerleaders do not represent them? Why should all kid's parents pay for this? Consider your donation/fundraising your extra taxes.

If you don't like the constant buying of new stuff, get involved, push alternatives.

Or just tell your kid she can't be a cheerleader. I can't believe you're moaning about it and the say "yea cannot afford it don't enter". Physician, heal thyself.

CHEERLEADING IS NOT PART OF EDUCATION. The fact that it's related to school does not make it so. Where there is a mandatory school uniform, does anyone expect the school to provide it? no! And yet it's mandatory for all students. Cheerleading is just a precious few -why the hell would anyone think it reasonable that everyone dips in their pockets to pay for it? perhaps it would be reasonable to ask the PTO to pay for it. But you know, that's separate from the school. and taxes. And you need to ask. To be more involved.

You think $50K is a lot to be a principal of a high school? Walk in their shoes before you judge that one. I think it's way too little. And yes, it's principal, not principle. And no I ain't one. But I'm in our little K-8 school all the time and I sure hope our principal gets paid at least that. Teaching is not a 9-5, it's not a Mon-Fri and it most certainly is not a free 3 months in summer. people who think it is should get more involved or butt out completely.

love yea monster lol

Its more like the pressure kids place on parents. I have no problem saying nope its not gonna hapen, but see many parents struggling to keep up with the Jones.

Down here I see kids getting new cars cuz they managed to get out of school. To me thats wrong. You get a grade cuz it helps you progress not your parents.

The schools don't pay for stuff cuz they know they can count on the kids to emotionaliy black mail their parents to pay up.

I tell the kids nope often (much to their delight). I have no problem with that. I hate that schools treat kids as pawns

When you buy band uniforms, you pick from catalogues, and then you buy perhaps, a hundred uniforms. You can't get the service from ordinary Joes. The schools would buy cheaper if they were available, now, you pay the cost or go without.

It is considered a sport. The schools have to provide an equal number of sports for boys and girls. so if boys have football, the girls have cheerleading. Football equipment and uniforms are provided for the boys therefore the uniforms are provided for the girls. the ruling is whatever you spend on one you should make sure there is just as much money to spend on the other if the other needs it.

My understanding is that this is not just on the state level but a national thing that came into being in the early 1990s. something to do with equality. It doesn't mean that girls can't play football or that boys can't do cheerleading, but that there has to be equal number of sports provided that are for boys and girls. Cheerleading is one of those that has always been considered a sport apparently. It isn't very popular here.

Our schools reuse uniforms each year and they are all provided for the kids. However, they are the basic uniform. If the kids want any of the extras like sweatshirts, pants etc. they have to pay for them themselves. And the fund-raising we participate in is the type of fundraising that is worth it. for example, as LS mentioned above, car washes is one that the kids do to raise money - the kickline team isn't considered a sport because there isn't another sport to be given to the boys, so they don't have anything bought for them. they did a few car washes to raise money to pay for their uniforms. Very basic uniforms that were tidy and non-revealing and they won 3rd place. Just shows that expensive uniforms are not necessary to impress judges :)

The boys high school football team have an away camp just before school starts. As a parent you can either pay the $250 or the child/young adult can fund raise by selling space in the school magazine to local businesses. They get so many points for each spot sold and once they reach a set number their trip is paid for. And it isn't a rediculous amount that makes it impossible for the child to raise enough and for more than one to participate this way.

Title IX, which came about in the 1970s was the big national legislation regarding equal opportunity for males and females in school, in terms of both education and sports : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_9

In terms of school fund raising, I personally think it has gotten out of hand. I have no problems with car washes, bake sales, etc., where the effort is put in by the students. However, at work, I am inundated by parents of preschool through elementary school students trying to sell me pizza kits, over priced wrapping paper, etc. Preschool! Obviously, that school doesn't expect a three year old to go door to door selling wrapping paper.

Getting rid of cheerleading is a definately a step in the right direction, it makes my buttocks clench.