Hey, beachteach, I was supporting you, not berating you!
Boosterthon Info
- Thread starter wilcogal1974
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I guess this means that to you as a teacher at Butler you believe the end justifies the means. *sigh*
I on the other hand as a parent of a Butler student do not believe in exploiting my children and using them as a fundraising tool for their school. Nor do I agree with my child being exploited by an outsourced company that is hired at 48% of the profits to infiltrate my child's school for a week and a half under the guise of "character building."
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It would behoove all to understand that on many occasions "the end does justify the means". What is used to accomplish a goal is not always wrong. I would appreciate a substantiation of the 48% figure. Is it possible you exaggerated slightly?
In my youth, admittedly a long time ago, this type of means for collecting money for our projects was common. It is voluntary. You should not participate if you don't desire to do so but as long as the effort is not criminal and is above board, other parents and faculty should be allowed to pursue avenues they desire to collect activity funds not covered by tax dollars.
Local school rakes in more than $55,000 | Carolina Weekly Newspapers
But Georgia company gets almost half
October 30, 2009
Andrew Batten
HIGHLAND CREEK ? For years, parent-teacher associations have used various types of fundraisers to support their schools and their own programs.
Students have hocked everything from wrapping paper to cookie dough, but a new fundraiser that asks families and friends to pledge money for each lap students run around a track at school has some parents worried.
Boosterthon Fun Runs have been making the rounds at area schools. Highland Creek Elementary held its fun run Oct. 22.
Highland Creek?s PTA contracted with Booster Enterprises, a for-profit, Georgia-based business to provide promotional material. Three of its employees made presentations on good character traits in each of the school?s classrooms.
For several weeks leading up to the fun run, students were asked to get $1 to $2 pledges from relatives and friends for each lap they run. The maximum students could run was 32, equating to a $32- to $64-donation from each person.
On the day of the fun run, students walked around a 1/16-mile tracked dubbed the Boosterthon Speedway throughout the school day. Booster Enterprises brought a sound system, played music and led students around the track.
Booster Enterprises kept 48 percent of the money raised and the rest, 52 percent, went to the PTA. Highland Creek Principal Ann Nivens said the PTA raised roughly $30,000 and that?s more than past fundraisers garnered, said Denise Lynch, the PTA?s director of fundraising.
Officials from Booster Enterprises did not respond to phone and e-mail messages from the University City Weekly.
PTA announcements didn?t mention the organization would have to split contributions with Booster Enterprises.
?We did not make an announcement per se, but anytime a parent would ask what the breakdown was, we would always let them know,? Lynch said.
Not advertising those conditions could have unfairly led parents to think the PTA was getting all of the money, Frank Palmroos, father of a Highland Creek third-grader, said.
?That?s being deceitful,? he said. ?Money is tight for a lot of folks around here these days and to give money to the PTA thinking that the money is going to them and then to learn that only half is ? it?s better to write a check directly to the PTA.?
With other fundraisers, like the popular Sally Foster gift-wrap sales, contributors get a tangible product from students, Palmroos said.
?The thing is when you sell wrapping paper to someone, they?ve got wrapping paper,? he said. ?With this one, people are pledging not knowing the school is only getting half.?
In 2007 and 2008, the Highland Creek PTA organized a golf tournament fundraiser.
The PTA switched to Booster Enterprises because the company provided students with lessons of good character and physical fitness.
?We felt that this gave kids a little bit of something because they teach the values of character development,? Lynch said. ?They also teach the values of physical fitness. It really gets the students involved with the fundraising.?
Booster Enterprises? employees gave each class five-minute character trait presentations every day during the week of the run. But, Palmroos said, those presentations and lessons on physical fitness are something the school should be teaching without the help of a corporation.
?That?s what gym class is for,? he said.
Lynch said the Boosterthon raised significantly more money than the golf tournament, especially in parent contributions since corporate sponsors funded the tournament.
?It really got the families involved,? she said. ?Our participation went from about 15 percent up to around 70 percent. So we had a significant increase in parent participation.?
Despite the high numbers of parent participation, Palmroos objects to a for-profit organization, Booster Enterprises, using students? class time. His daughter was tempted with promises of bigger prizes for more pledges.
?Doing it during class hours just isn?t right,? he said. ?You shouldn?t be making a sales seminar when these kids are supposed to be in class.?
Nivens, who approved the fun run as a fundraiser, believes students saw minimal disruption to their classes.
?On that day, they didn?t have recess or PE, so it actually took the place of those things and took about 50 minutes,? she said.
Palmroos wouldn?t let his daughter be tempted by the prizes. He held her from the school on the day of the fun run and had a babysitter take her to the library instead.
But Georgia company gets almost half
October 30, 2009
Andrew Batten
HIGHLAND CREEK ? For years, parent-teacher associations have used various types of fundraisers to support their schools and their own programs.
Students have hocked everything from wrapping paper to cookie dough, but a new fundraiser that asks families and friends to pledge money for each lap students run around a track at school has some parents worried.
Boosterthon Fun Runs have been making the rounds at area schools. Highland Creek Elementary held its fun run Oct. 22.
Highland Creek?s PTA contracted with Booster Enterprises, a for-profit, Georgia-based business to provide promotional material. Three of its employees made presentations on good character traits in each of the school?s classrooms.
For several weeks leading up to the fun run, students were asked to get $1 to $2 pledges from relatives and friends for each lap they run. The maximum students could run was 32, equating to a $32- to $64-donation from each person.
On the day of the fun run, students walked around a 1/16-mile tracked dubbed the Boosterthon Speedway throughout the school day. Booster Enterprises brought a sound system, played music and led students around the track.
Booster Enterprises kept 48 percent of the money raised and the rest, 52 percent, went to the PTA. Highland Creek Principal Ann Nivens said the PTA raised roughly $30,000 and that?s more than past fundraisers garnered, said Denise Lynch, the PTA?s director of fundraising.
Officials from Booster Enterprises did not respond to phone and e-mail messages from the University City Weekly.
PTA announcements didn?t mention the organization would have to split contributions with Booster Enterprises.
?We did not make an announcement per se, but anytime a parent would ask what the breakdown was, we would always let them know,? Lynch said.
Not advertising those conditions could have unfairly led parents to think the PTA was getting all of the money, Frank Palmroos, father of a Highland Creek third-grader, said.
?That?s being deceitful,? he said. ?Money is tight for a lot of folks around here these days and to give money to the PTA thinking that the money is going to them and then to learn that only half is ? it?s better to write a check directly to the PTA.?
With other fundraisers, like the popular Sally Foster gift-wrap sales, contributors get a tangible product from students, Palmroos said.
?The thing is when you sell wrapping paper to someone, they?ve got wrapping paper,? he said. ?With this one, people are pledging not knowing the school is only getting half.?
In 2007 and 2008, the Highland Creek PTA organized a golf tournament fundraiser.
The PTA switched to Booster Enterprises because the company provided students with lessons of good character and physical fitness.
?We felt that this gave kids a little bit of something because they teach the values of character development,? Lynch said. ?They also teach the values of physical fitness. It really gets the students involved with the fundraising.?
Booster Enterprises? employees gave each class five-minute character trait presentations every day during the week of the run. But, Palmroos said, those presentations and lessons on physical fitness are something the school should be teaching without the help of a corporation.
?That?s what gym class is for,? he said.
Lynch said the Boosterthon raised significantly more money than the golf tournament, especially in parent contributions since corporate sponsors funded the tournament.
?It really got the families involved,? she said. ?Our participation went from about 15 percent up to around 70 percent. So we had a significant increase in parent participation.?
Despite the high numbers of parent participation, Palmroos objects to a for-profit organization, Booster Enterprises, using students? class time. His daughter was tempted with promises of bigger prizes for more pledges.
?Doing it during class hours just isn?t right,? he said. ?You shouldn?t be making a sales seminar when these kids are supposed to be in class.?
Nivens, who approved the fun run as a fundraiser, believes students saw minimal disruption to their classes.
?On that day, they didn?t have recess or PE, so it actually took the place of those things and took about 50 minutes,? she said.
Palmroos wouldn?t let his daughter be tempted by the prizes. He held her from the school on the day of the fun run and had a babysitter take her to the library instead.
Thank you for clarifying the 48% figure. That said, the amount raised is substantially more than through other means and seemed quite acceptable to the school principal.
To each his own.
To each his own.
I would not be so certain Boosterthon will return next year. Typically the first year Boosterthon comes to a school, a "record" is set in fundraising. Everyone (almost) glows about the money and character building theme and all is pretty good. The administration is happy with having the money and basically not having to do much for it. The second year the fundraiser didn't do as well as the first year and it starts circulating even more about the company's "take" on the event. By the third year, if Boosterthon returns, the lack of support has usually reached the point where it is no longer feasible, profit-wise for Boosterthon to continue to have a school as a client. They will not do a Boosterthon event for you if it is not extremely profitable for them. This has been played out all over Georgia and Alabama already. A little cash and a boat load of rah-rah does not necessarily a happy parent make. And in the end that is who will decide the issue, not the principal.
This is the second year my Butler kid participated. This year while I watched the event it crossed my mind that this company is making a lot of money off of our kids. I was starting to go down the path of thinking this was bad. Then they made an announcement as if they were reading my mind.
They said that when Butler did this type of thing themselves they made something like 15k. But that now that these guys were running it they were getting 33k.
So I figured everyone was winning here and I felt better about it.
They could spend another 15k on resources to make that extra 15k. or spend/do very little and get that extra 15k. I dunno.
They said that when Butler did this type of thing themselves they made something like 15k. But that now that these guys were running it they were getting 33k.
So I figured everyone was winning here and I felt better about it.
They could spend another 15k on resources to make that extra 15k. or spend/do very little and get that extra 15k. I dunno.
Douglas the Intrepid
Beach Fanatic
I think a large part of the issue from reading the earlier posts is the effect on younger children who are not participating. Having Boosterthon come into the classrooms and giving prizes to the students who participated in front of those who didn't is just wrong. All the kids know is they didn't get anything and besides making them feel bad, it then pressures parents into potentially participating just so their kids 'fit in'. I personally don't want boosterthon manipulating my child's emotions to further their own financial gain. Just bypass boosterthon altogether and right a check directly to the PTA. Its better for the school and its better for our children. I wholeheartedly endorse normal fundraisers that go 100 percent to the school. It sickens me to see corporate getting rich off our children in such a manipulative manner.
Random thought - could we get rid of the fundraising and use TDC money for these things?
I am sure we could spin it that well outfitted schools and good education system are a draw for businesses wanting to locate here.
I am sure we could spin it that well outfitted schools and good education system are a draw for businesses wanting to locate here.
What about doing away with the prizes?
This is a tough issue for me. I agree with much from both sides of it.
When I was a kid we sold candy bars. One year I won the grand prize- a bike. All the other years I didn't win anything. But I don't remember crying about it and if I did I would have gotten a bit of tough love from my mom for being a sore loser-- not saying that's what the kids of posters here are. Just sharing what mom would have said.
This is a tough issue for me. I agree with much from both sides of it.
When I was a kid we sold candy bars. One year I won the grand prize- a bike. All the other years I didn't win anything. But I don't remember crying about it and if I did I would have gotten a bit of tough love from my mom for being a sore loser-- not saying that's what the kids of posters here are. Just sharing what mom would have said.