Tired of catalogs, schools seek new ways of fundraising

Students asking relatives and friends to buy such things as gift wrap, magazines or cookie dough are as much a part of the school year as report cards and parent-teacher conferences.

But some PTA officials are saying enough is enough. They're searching for alternatives to catalog sales that emphasize education and improving the school community, rather than raising the most money.

In suburban Kansas City, that's been the goal at Franklin Elementary School in the Liberty School District for the last three years, where the PTA has replaced catalog sales with a four-week read-a-thon, with students getting pledges for the number of minutes they read. More...

Is "pay to play" coming your way?

New Milford PTO demands leaders look carefully at proposed school budget

NEW MILFORD "" Voters in November elected school board members they felt would put children before dollar signs "" taking away a Republican majority for the first time in a decade.

Yet Republican Mayor Patricia Murphy's request to cut $1.75 million from the school board's $59.1-million budget proposal suggests she is unwilling to listen to those constituents, according to PTO leaders and education supporters.

The townwide Parent-Teacher Organization intends to demand the town's elected leaders look very carefully at the mayor's proposal, because they said the money she wants to take away may mean a loss of teachers, a return to pay-to-play sports, fewer library books, larger class sizes and less money to properly maintain school buildings More...

Salisbury school notes: Kids were off to the pig races last week

You've heard of horse races, but have you heard of pig races? Last Friday, the Salisbury Elementary School PTA hosted the first annual pig races. Each classroom that had 60 percent student participation in the 2007 Meadow Farms Fall fundraiser got one battery-operated pig to enter into the race. More...

Schools cutting bingo fundraisers, daunted by state rules

Organizers of some school bingo events say they are shying away from the fundraisers this year, afraid of breaking complicated state finance rules.

School officials, parents and community organizers say many were alarmed after East Catholic High School in Manchester was cited last fall for using a money wheel in a fundraising drive. More...

Rose L. MacDonald School launches box top fundraiser

The Rose L MacDonald School recently launched its 2007-2008 Box Tops for Education fundraising campaign. The school has earned more than $6,000 since 2002. This year the school has set a goal of raising $850. More...

Slow economy forces school PTA's to change fundraising strategies

Economic times are tough both at home and at school. Some schools are seeing a 20% drop in fundraising, forcing many PTA's to rethink their strategy, even cutting back on some money-making events.

Six months ago, business owner Joan Miller decided to help the local schools in Ruskin. Miller says if her business, Dove Interiors, has seen a 30% drop in sales, local schools were probably feeling the financial pinch too. Details...

Litchfield collects cell phones to help pay for community pool

Specifically, the city is collecting used cell phones to help pay for its swimming pool, the only public pool in the county.

The city has teamed up with Pace Butler Corp., of Edmond, Okla., a leader in the cell phone recycling industry that pays for the cell phones collected. Details...