As coffers swell -- or as schools in low-income communities try to figure out how to stretch their budgets -- PTA officers and other parents are prioritizing the use of parents' money, and it's not as easy as it might seem. “Sometimes, it’s hard to judge what’s the right thing to do,” said Sue Dietrich, the PTA treasurer for Staten Island Technical High School, one of the city’s nine selective high schools, which raises about $60,000 annually. “It’s hard to know what’s really necessary.” Read More »

Parents at P.S. 89 in Manhattan pay for laptops, a dance program, a chess club, upgrades to the gym and the library, music and art programs, and a playground assistant. They give teachers $400 each to purchase school supplies, and $200 more later in the year if needed. At P.S. 305 in Brooklyn, parents are hoping to use the $5,000 they have raised this year to send fifth graders on “a nice, end-of-year trip,” rent out a prom hall and purchase sashes for their graduation ceremony. Teachers not only don't get money for school supplies, they often chip in to help families and children. Another report on the impact of parent fund-raising and spending in the public schools. Read More »