Let Parents Aid Individual Schools

There are certain schools in Los Angeles where parents and friends fund extras to what their children normally get from the school board. And there’s a growing fuss being made about it.

The argument against endowing my child’s school with extras is that I can’t endow everyone’s school. And neither can the school board. The objections: Don’t buy extra books for the school library; don’t buy more instruments for the young musicians; don’t pay for extra teacher support; and above all, don’t make your school better than mine.

In their misguided clamor that self-help by parent groups is bad, school officials may try to suppress such activities and so “equalize” the available support for all kids to the lowest level. Would these officials be happier if they saw the development of “parent bootleggers” providing extras on the sly? Should parents be barred from taking their kids to the library once a week because not all parents do this? Should they forbid trips to the museum by groups of parents with their groups of kids because others don’t do so? Should families give up subscriptions to the National Geographic or Highlights magazines?

The situation resounds with the old battle cry of the have-nots against the haves. But this time it isn’t really about money. It’s about the efforts of some parents to deny themselves certain things in order to provide supplies to their school. There is a feeling of ownership about the school where your kid goes, so what’s wrong with buying those extra goodies and special help for our school? The problem is not the money but the desires of some parents, friends and neighbors to do better for their school than the school board can do.

Some parents can’t do as well for their kids, because they lack the money, time, energy or opportunity. The efforts of the pioneering parents should set an example for more effort by others.

To start, invite neighboring businesses to share on behalf of the kids in “their” school. Make birthdays into an occasion when the birthday child presents a book to the school library. Instead of sharing Valentines, use the money to improve the school’s collection of books, software or art supplies.

When parents organize to support their children’s schools, it shouldn’t be regarded as a problem, but an incentive.