Fundraising Woes

**Updated at the bottom...

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. I shuttled Jack home in the 29382 degree heat and once safely tucked inside the cocoon of wonderful a/c, began to look through the contents of his take home folder. It was the largest amount of "stuff" yet and I wanted to know why. Then I discovered "it" -- the dreaded fundraising packet. In the giant envelope of gluttony were catalogs for cookie dough, pretzels, coffee, candles, wrapping paper (yeah -- separate catalogs for each!) along with a letter outlining the Check Writing Campaign (the gist? write us a check because we get 100% of the money!) and the Fall Carnival. I didn't feel like reading about all of it because truthfully after writing a $30 check the first week of school for various items that will "support the PTA as they support the teachers" I was a bit put out. "I'll come back to it," I thought.

So I pulled out the weekly Wednesday letter from our principal. Along with a heaping helping of coercion regarding the fundraisers, she outlined the school's policy on re-testing and introduced the ZAP (Zeros are not Permitted) Program, explaining how and when students would be allowed to complete unfinished assignments. "Interesting program," I thought. I'm still not sure which side of the fence I fall on in regards to zeros; like the pendulum swing of educational theory, my opinion shifts widely and frequently.

We loaded up the family for dinner and then church. And thus ended my journey through the folder. Until later...

After bathing and bedding the little ones, I set to my original task of examining all the fund-raising paraphernalia. It was then that I stumbled across the prize packages. One glossy page offered, in bright colors, the usual dollar-store fare that I'd grown accustomed to seeing (and wanting) in the course of my fundraising experience. Then I came across the "Just for NCE" prizes. The first prize was cute; anyone who participates at all in any of the fundraisers will get a Stinky Feet Day Pass -- good for one shoeless day in the classroom. While my gross factor was heightened, I understood how appealing this would be to the students, particularly my little guy. As I kept reading I came across the prize of a free homework pass. Any student who sells $75 worth of merchandise (or who brings a check from mom/dad for that amount) qualifies for one homework pass to be used instead of actually doing the homework. And that was all it took. The alarm was raised -- as mother and teacher.

The prize seems innocuous at first glance but it presents a dangerous and slippery slope. How can we as teachers and parents instruct our children daily on the importance of hard-work, diligence and responsibility and then offer a "get out of jail free" card when it suits our purpose? I fail to understand how offering such a prize doesn't undermine everything the teachers are trying so hard to instill. Someone needs to explain to me how directly tying academic performance to monetary gain is a positive thing. And while it's "only one homework assignment", the entire idea presents a dangerous situation in which our expectations for student performance change based on the child's ability to perform for our benefit.

Right now I have an email in to the principal. I'm sure I'll receive a cursory "thanks for letting me know" response. As soon as I know I'll pass it on. Any insight/advice/opinions on the topic are wanted and welcome!

Update:
The principal called, and as expected I received an "I appreciate your concern" conversation. First I was given the logic that homework only counts for 10% of the overall average, and reminded that the prize only counted for one homework assignment so it's "not really that big of a deal." Then I was told that the principal was going to "support the PTA in any way they needed because they do so much for the school." I was lectured about how blessed Jack's school is to have parental support because the principal has been without it before and "it isn't fun." I was reminded that the fundraisers are voluntary and was told that the "kids who will win the award will participate anyway" and "it really all comes down to who has the most family members willing to help." It was with that comment that I lost my ability to speak to the woman as a parent; my teacher-mode came on with full force. I began my questioning of her with, "And that sits well with you as an educator? That the students who have the greatest familial support and easiest access to money are the ones who receive all the reward?" She didn't have an answer. So I then asked, "given what we know about low socio-economic status and it's impact on student performance, you see no problem tying directly a student's academic performance to his/her ability to provide money for the school?" Again she didn't have an answer. I heard more of the same logic that "it's no big deal" and "the team leaders voted on it." Finally at the end she admitted that she'd never thought of things from my perspective (which raised an entirely new set of issues for me -- what's her job if not to think like this???). I told her that I support her and her staff; I told her I appreciated her hard work.

I'm not certain how to proceed. I take issue with the PTA's carte blanche decision making privileges. I have a problem with a principal that, while claiming that education of her students is paramount, will give approval to anything that comes across her desk from the PTA. I have serious concerns that the person charged with leading my son's school, who supposedly has at least a master's degree in education administration, didn't bother to think about a grades-for-money scheme as wrong, that she didn't bother to consider the messages she was sending to students. If Tot2Tot wasn't this weekend I'm sure I'd be a little more involved in fighting this. As it stands I think I'll let it go until Monday. And then? Then I may be emailing the superintendent?