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Gift—Holmes PTSA; - LPS Board Meeting Minutes July 5, 2005
Topic Started: Jan 6 2006, 10:42 PM (1,566 Views)
livoniarecall
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Principal
Can someone help me understand why the Holmes PTSA would give such a gift to the BOE? What is the difference between PTA and PTSA? Where does this kind of money come from?

From July 5, 2005 Minutes:

Gift—Holmes PTSA:
It was moved by Ms. Morgan and supported by Mr. Freeman that the Board of Education of the Livonia Public Schools School District accept the generous gift of [size=7]$28,370.62[/size] from the Holmes Middle School PTSA for various programs and items to enrich the lives of Holmes students and staff.

Ayes: Bailey, Freeman, Lessard, Markarian, Morgan, Scheel, Whitehead
Nays: None
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WestlandAin'tSoBad
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5th Grade
The S in PTSA is for Students. There is no differnece between PTA and PTSA.

Let's say Holmes PTA raised $ to buy playground equipment. If they donate the $ to LPS, then LPS can use it's leverage to aquire the items. In order to be tax free the gift can't be specific.
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fyi
Principal
That's a way to get around the millage issue. If each of the elementary schools were to raise 100,000 a year, and "gift" it to the BOE, that would amount to 2 million dollars(20 schools?). If you were to include the middle schools and the high schools, each school would have to raise less. The schools could involve area businesses, etc. (tax advantages for them also). More fundraisers would be needed, but if stakeholders realize what the alternative is, maybe they would be more successful.

I'm sure someone has already suggested this somewhere else on this forum though. Does anyone know if the $$$ could be used on anything? Of course, it should go towards per pupil funding---not administrative salaries, etc.
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Grant
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Principal
Wait a second....does anyone elese have a problem with this?
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loyaltolivonia
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Principal
I have no reply, Grant, other than "MORE COWBELL" :lol:

Please, go back to the original topic. I just couldn't help myself :P
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Elisa
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Principal
Good idea fyi. I think that the foundation was set up to do that kind of thing-raise money, seek corporate donations, etc. Also, Public schools lag behind private in seeking grant money. Now there is not a ton of it out there but a resourceful person ( and a skilled grant writer) can find money that either corporations or other foundations give out for either specific programs or to be used in a more general way. As a social worker who has worked for a lot of small, urban and under funded agencies so I've had to search for money quite often. Sometimes the grants are for agencies that meet certain criteria. From surveying some of what is available in the educational grant area, the same applies. For example, the Gates Foundation is granting quite a bit of money but large urban high schools have an advantage. There is also some money available under one of the Titles of NCLB for "innovative programs" Also, public schools can create their own innovative charters that can act as a magnet to the district, to attract new families and keep the families we have. A great example is the partnership that Wayne County RESA formed with Ford to create the Henry Ford Academy. I too think that there are more ways to secure additional funding as well as plan for the future of LPS. All that I have heard from the admin and the BOE are predictions of enrollment decline from now until...? While it is important to recognize the decline, where is the plan to turn it around? Do they actually believe it is the LI?
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Elisa
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Principal
From RESA"s site. I do know if the district utilizes them or actively seeks grants. I can't remember if I have ever read that they secured a grant for anything in particular.

"The Grants and Fund Development Center was established by the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) to assist in the procurement of additional funding for public education. Its mission is to help RESA provide innovative programs and services to schools in Wayne County and to build the capacity of schools to use the grant-seeking process to obtain the supplementary funds needed to provide all Wayne County students with equitable access to quality educational programs. In order to accomplish this mission the Grants and Fund Development staff maintains and provides:



· Grant Alerts, notices distributed through a web-based database containing possible grant opportunities for K-12 education;

· Electronic Newsletter – Searching for Dollars – that contains tips for proposal development and fund procurement;

· Grants Listserve that distributes the electronic newsletter and also provides special information and notices;

· Training, provided through periodic, two-day workshops on the mechanics of winning grants;

· Technical Assistance, offering teams face-to-face and phone assistance focused on the actual preparation of grant application packages; and

· Consultation, helping districts develop (1) funding consortia and partnerships; (2) project designs; (3) funding resource location; and (4) managing projects"
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one_observer
Principal
PTSA
Yes S represents "Students" also The S represents another dues paying member. The Students purchase membership in the PTA. If the 5/6 schools become a reality, which group, PTA or PTSA will form there, lots a Students there. A whole lot more members...the parents will be members at the first elementary school, the second (ha) elementary school, the middle school PTSA and if they've got a high schooler PTSA once again. So if parents, one family, have four kids spread around, that could be in 10 members in the PTA 2 parents in k-4, 2 in 5/6, 2 + 1 S in 7/8, and 2+1 S in high school. 10 more members for Livonia council PTA when there really are only 4 different dues paying members. Thats how Livonia PTA has such a large membership count and remains I think one of the largest PTAs in Michigan
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fyi
Principal
The LI sounds like it will be good for membership dues. I have heard that the MPTSA gets the dues.
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
one_observer
Jan 7 2006, 10:57 AM
PTSA
Yes S represents "Students" also The S represents another dues paying member. The Students purchase membership in the PTA. If the 5/6 schools become a reality, which group, PTA or PTSA will form there, lots a Students there. A whole lot more members...the parents will be members at the first elementary school, the second (ha) elementary school, the middle school PTSA and if they've got a high schooler PTSA once again. So if parents, one family, have four kids spread around, that could be in 10 members in the PTA 2 parents in k-4, 2 in 5/6, 2 + 1 S in 7/8, and 2+1 S in high school. 10 more members for Livonia council PTA when there really are only 4 different dues paying members. Thats how Livonia PTA has such a large membership count and remains I think one of the largest PTAs in Michigan

Hmmm...no wonder the Livonia PTA President and executive board think this is such a great idea

And yes, much of the dues go to the Michigan PTA.

Livonia has consistently been the largest PTA in Michigan because we care!
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Tyler_Parent
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Principal
By gifting it to the BOE, does not the local PTA then loose control over how it is spent? For example, I know of one Wayne/Westland school where every teacher in the building is a member of the PTA for that very purpose. They coordinate meeting attendance to ensure that there is always teacher representation. Being down to a single 20 minute recess a day, they (teachers) believe classroom spending is far more important than playground equipment. That's just an example, but the more I think about it, the more questions I have about this practice. So, to end this post with focus on my question rather than the example, does not gifting the BOE remove local PTA control over how it is spent?
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Tyler_Parent
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Principal
Seems that this was not an isolated case at all.
----------

BOARD COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETINGS
January 9, 2006

BOARD ROOM
7:00 p.m.

AGENDA

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Markarian, Scheel, Morgan

1. Gift—Roosevelt PTA J. Young
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cat
Principal
keep looking, it does not stop there...Tyler just gave a small fortune as welll.....
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Elisa
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Principal
The money raised by foundation fundraisers, gifts (corporate or pta) and grants won can be used by the district for operational costs (textbooks, programs, supplies etc). If the pta raised money stays within the particular school it was raised then it can't be applied to those types of things.
Our PTA raised quite a bit of money a few years back and used it to purchase a new sign. The admin has big "equity" issues, so if my school is more supportive of PTA and their fundraisers than your school and the money is directly impacting student learning/services then there is an equity issue. Gifting it to the BOE allows it to be more equitable in its distribution.
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Tyler_Parent
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Principal
??? Tyler just sent home the Little Ceasa's Pizza fund raiser flier. I was wondering why they would continue to try to raise money for a school that would close in 6 months. This is troublesome news.
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