Everyday my kids come home with something, buy this, buy that..Support this, Support that.

The sad thing is, if you do not, the child is penalized.

I used to mark mine up and sell them at a profit, as a kid. Easier said than done, but at least 1 house in 10 would go for it. If they wouldn't go for the "retail" price, I was "authorized" to offer it at a "discount" on a limited basis.

I also used to pay neighborhood kids 10 cents commision on any candy bar they sold for me (they were not allowed to offer the candy at a "discount"). I never really made any real money at it, but it was a nice way to hedge my efforts against the stereo they always promised the best seller.

By Junior High school, I was out of the fundraising business and went right into blackmarket candy distribution on campus. By the end of my 8th grade year, I had 3 kids buying from me as a wholesaler. Apparently, I was the only one in the school who knew about buying candy in bulk at the grocery store.

My blackmarket in-class candy business was funny enough to deserve a new thread devoted to it.

It sucks.  Yes our taxes go to the school, but the school districts are not using the money well and they have to play the sympathy card and send your kids out to collect more.  Bullying young children in to collecting money is shitty.  At those ages, those kids don't understand that the money they're collecting does really even go to the school, well a small percentage does maybe.  There are MUCH better ways of collecting money for school (if they reaaaaallly need to), such as events or drives organized and put on by the school from which ALL the proceeds go to the school.

Also, it pisses me off that we pay for school with our taxes then on enrollment day, cut a check for more.

Quoted: Quoted: The sad thing is, if you do not, the child is penalized. Thanks for reminding me.  Looking over the flyer, if they sell less than 10, they get a small token prize.  If they sell 10 or more, they go to some "Mega Party" at the school.

It's not a fundraiser, it's marketing scheme.  Some money goes to the school, but never as much as "YOU COULD WIN!!!"

It kinda depends on what they are raising money for.  Are they raising money for text books?  Or for a special field trip?

In my day (early 80s), the schools generally funded everything except extracurricular activities.  If the band wanted to go on a tour of DC, they needed to raise the money themselves.  If the ag class wants a new tractor, they need to raise the money for it.  But the classes themselves (band, ag, art, etc) were funded enough for most needs.

These days though, it seems like they have to have fund raisers for damn near everything.

LL

I bought some of that crappy cookie dough.  I threw it out when I got home.  It was nasty.  

I'm right with you on these fundraisers.  Between that and cramming for standardized tests I don't know when kids actually even have a chance to learn anything.

My boss has an exchange student from France.  He has already graduated there so his year here won't count for anything.  I was asking him how his classes were going and he kinda chuckled.  He's taking all the "honors" courses and the most advanced classes they offer.  He called it a joke.  He said he took equivalent classes when he was 11 or 12.  I got a sense, after a while, that he was right, he seemed to know things I never even learned in college.

What really is disturbing is that our school system is a joke to someone even when it is not in his native language.  That's pretty sad.

Quoted: One of my coworkers brought in cookie dough that his son was selling for a school fundraiser.  This really annoys me... not that he's selling cookie dough to raise money, but that the school has the *nerve* to send its students out to collect money for the school.   First off, we don't have kids, so my property taxes are already paying for the education of some other family's children.  Second, this school isn't even in my county!  Thanks to some law in Texas, I have to write a check to this school district as part of my property taxes.  I'm in Travis county, the school is in Williamson.  Third, the company that is coordinating this, Top Ten Fund Raisers, Inc. takes 40-60% of the profits.   Feeling fleeced in Austin, DVDTracker

There's a lot that schools want to do that your tax dollars are not sufficient to fund.

Public education, BTW, is a pretty decent investment in society in general.

Fundraisers are the norm in non-profit orgs like schools. The .gov usually doesn't have the resources or will to fully fund everything. Thus fundraisers are a necessary evil. Nobody likes them, but they have to be done.

The "fundraiser" companies are not my favorite, but a turnkey solution which generates revenue with minimal hassle is appealing.

Quoted: It kinda depends on what they are raising money for.  Are they raising money for text books?  Or for a special field trip? In my day (early 80s), the schools generally funded everything except extracurricular activities.  If the band wanted to go on a tour of DC, they needed to raise the money themselves.  If the ag class wants a new tractor, they need to raise the money for it.  But the classes themselves (band, ag, art, etc) were funded enough for most needs. These days though, it seems like they have to have fund raisers for damn near everything. LL

You're right.   When I was young fundraisers were strictly for voluntary activities.  Now they are for even the most basic school items.  On top of that, like was said, if you don't sell you are punished.  What pisses me off most is we have a fundraiser, then give away prizes, then throw a fundraiser party.  How is there anything left?  If you need money, solicit money.  Otherwise it is a business.  Someone's making money, you bet your ass.  These things are too big and widespread for someone, somewhere, not to be making a mint.

Quoted: Quoted: One of my coworkers brought in cookie dough that his son was selling for a school fundraiser.  This really annoys me... not that he's selling cookie dough to raise money, but that the school has the *nerve* to send its students out to collect money for the school.   First off, we don't have kids, so my property taxes are already paying for the education of some other family's children.  Second, this school isn't even in my county!  Thanks to some law in Texas, I have to write a check to this school district as part of my property taxes.  I'm in Travis county, the school is in Williamson.  Third, the company that is coordinating this, Top Ten Fund Raisers, Inc. takes 40-60% of the profits.   Feeling fleeced in Austin, DVDTracker There's a lot that schools want to do that your tax dollars are not sufficient to fund. Public education, BTW, is a pretty decent investment in society in general. Fundraisers are the norm in non-profit orgs like schools. The .gov usually doesn't have the resources or will to fully fund everything. Thus fundraisers are a necessary evil. Nobody likes them, but they have to be done. The "fundraiser" companies are not my favorite, but a turnkey solution which generates revenue with minimal hassle is appealing.

I might agree with you except that tax dollars fund a lot of things that have absolutely nothing to do with education.  Tax dollars buy multi-million dollar sports stadiums.  They pay for sports equipment.  Physical activity?  Yes.  Training ground for our next NFL/NBA felons?  No.  Around here it has become a competition to see who can build the biggest, most extravagant schools.  We are building an elementary school in my city with no right angles.  Every wall is at some odd angle to the others.   The rooms are far from square.  There are courtyards and huge planters and lots of wasted space.  We will pay to heat and cool all this useless space.  We have to pay for the extra materials.  We have to pay upkeep on all the landscaping.  We paid an architectural firm an obscene amount to "design" the school to be unique.  I work all around the state.  I find out that our "unique" school is a template school that is being used all over the place.  So what did we pay for in the way of uniqueness?  Could that money have been better spent on a modest school and the savings go to EDUCATION???

We build a multi-million dollar school.  We have to cut corners to afford it so it ends up being too small when it opens.  We move in portable buildings for the poor kids and then have fundraisers to pay for supplies.  No wonder the world is passing us by.

My son just started kindergarden.

Talk about being fleeced.  Almost every school supply we bought was for class sharing.  So the parents are buying school supplies.  On top of that there was a snack/special project fee.  Come to find out we are to send him with a snack everyday.  then there is the reading material supply fee for some subsciption service.  Do schools supply anything?

Quoted: I might agree with you except that tax dollars fund a lot of things that have absolutely nothing to do with education.  Tax dollars buy multi-million dollar sports stadiums.  They pay for sports equipment.  Physical activity?  Yes.  Training ground for our next NFL/NBA felons?  No.  Around here it has become a competition to see who can build the biggest, most extravagant schools.  We are building an elementary school in my city with no right angles.  Every wall is at some odd angle to the others.   The rooms are far from square.  There are courtyards and huge planters and lots of wasted space.  We will pay to heat and cool all this useless space.  We have to pay for the extra materials.  We have to pay upkeep on all the landscaping.  We paid an architectural firm an obscene amount to "design" the school to be unique.  I work all around the state.  I find out that our "unique" school is a template school that is being used all over the place.  So what did we pay for in the way of uniqueness?  Could that money have been better spent on a modest school and the savings go to EDUCATION??? We build a multi-million dollar school.  We have to cut corners to afford it so it ends up being too small when it opens.  We move in portable buildings for the poor kids and then have fundraisers to pay for supplies.  No wonder the world is passing us by.

I agree with you. I don't think we are putting too few resources into school, but rather that what is being put into them is being spent foolishly.

We just need to vote out the idiots and spend the money properly.

Quoted: My son just started kindergarden. Talk about being fleeced.  Almost every school supply we bought was for class sharing.  So the parents are buying school supplies.  On top of that there was a snack/special project fee.  Come to find out we are to send him with a snack everyday.  then there is the reading material supply fee for some subsciption service.  Do schools supply anything?

Liberal, Left-Wing brainwashing and pussification is free of charge...

Those idiotic public school employees even let the kids out to the street to beg from motorists! Maybe they're training the kids for their future jobs. He He He! It figure that publics school are one of the last remaining bastions for Liberalism.

Quoted: I might agree with you except that tax dollars fund a lot of things that have absolutely nothing to do with education.  Tax dollars buy multi-million dollar sports stadiums.  They pay for sports equipment.  Physical activity?  Yes.  Training ground for our next NFL/NBA felons?  No.  Around here it has become a competition to see who can build the biggest, most extravagant schools.  We are building an elementary school in my city with no right angles.  Every wall is at some odd angle to the others.   The rooms are far from square.  There are courtyards and huge planters and lots of wasted space.  We will pay to heat and cool all this useless space.  We have to pay for the extra materials.  We have to pay upkeep on all the landscaping.  We paid an architectural firm an obscene amount to "design" the school to be unique.  I work all around the state.  I find out that our "unique" school is a template school that is being used all over the place.  So what did we pay for in the way of uniqueness?  Could that money have been better spent on a modest school and the savings go to EDUCATION??? We build a multi-million dollar school.  We have to cut corners to afford it so it ends up being too small when it opens.  We move in portable buildings for the poor kids and then have fundraisers to pay for supplies.  No wonder the world is passing us by.

Don't forget that one of the high schools down the street from me bought a fucking SONY JUMBOTRON for the stadium!

How extravagant is that?  How much of my money bought a fucking jumotron for a high school football stadium!

Quoted: My son just started kindergarden. Talk about being fleeced.  Almost every school supply we bought was for class sharing.

What better way to breed little socialists than to make them bring in their own supplies and then redistribute them to every one else in the class!  Start 'em young!

Quoted: Quoted: My son just started kindergarden. Talk about being fleeced.  Almost every school supply we bought was for class sharing. What better way to breed little socialists than to make them bring in their own supplies and then redistribute them to every one else in the class!  Start 'em young!

Why don't you two pull your kids out of school and teach them yourselves if you don't like it? That is an option.

AB

Just feel lucky you don't have a kid in band. It's every other day. Also now just to enroll a kid in school costs close to $200 per kid in "donations" as they call it.

We even had to send paper towels, toliet paper, copier paper and tissues.