Fundraising

School Fundraising Lets Government Shirk Responsibility

For years, cutbacks to Ontario’s education budget have led to concerns about school fundraising and the commercialization of education. While the government is responsible for funding education, schools are now relying on community and corporate fundraising to pay for some of their basic necessities.

Fundraising Covers the Basics

A national report on commercialism in schools, released in 2006 by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), and the Fédération des sydicats de l’enseignement (CSQ), shows that money from school-based fundraising is being used to purchase items such as textbooks and classroom supplies. As well, 65 percent of Ontario’s elementary schools are fundraising for library books. Elementary schools are also raising money for technology programs, playground equipment, school landscaping, musical instruments, field trips, physical education equipment, and before-and-after school classes.

The amount raised by individual schools tends to depend on the socio-economic background of the parent community. In Ontario, the amount raised by individual schools ranges from hundreds of dollars to many thousands of dollars. The report showed that, in Ontario, the mean amount raised per school was $11,400.00.

Incentive Programs in Schools

Cuts in government funding also put pressure on schools to seek private partnerships that may lead to product promotion at the school level, and to the privatization of education. For example, large numbers of elementary schools participate in programs such as Pizza Hut’s “Book It” and Scholastic’s program of redeeming coupons in exchange for books and classroom materials. Campbell’s Labels for Education, as well as grocery store receipt programs from retailers such as Sobey’s, Zehrs, and Staples, keep schools and teachers in the forefront of fundraising efforts.

Implications for Ontario’s Schools

Public education’s increasing reliance on private sources of funding has serious consequences for Ontario’s schools. For example:

• Equity: schools in wealthier neighbourhoods can raise more money, thus increasing the inequities in the education experience for children.
• Competition for funding: different schools may be competing for the same funds. In addition, fundraising takes time and energy away from the real job of schools – providing a high quality learning environment for students.
• What is funded: an increasing number of items are being defined as “frills,” outside of government funding. Playground equipment, field trips, musical instruments, and other classroom and learning resources are sometimes seen as non-essential. This leaves it up to private sources to provide these services and programs.
• Who is making the decisions: relying on private sources allows for private decisions on what is funded, rather than on public, collective decisions.
• Requirements for receiving funding: some private donors may attach strings to their funding for public education.
• Stability of funding: many sources of funding do not make commitments to provide the resources over any extended period. Some sources of funding must be applied for every year.
• Educational quality control: who is ensuring that the materials being provided to schools are unbiased, complete, or accurate?

ETFO Policy

It is ETFO policy:

• That district school boards be adequately funded to eliminate the need for schools to raise funds for basic resources, equipment and supplies.
• That Members not participate in fundraising activities for the purpose of raising money for essential school supplies required to run instructional programs.

How to Help

Parents and teachers can help by:

• Asking your teacher representative on the school council to raise the issue of school fundraising at the next council meeting.
• Suggesting the school council write a letter to the Minister of Education that documents what your school is raising funds for, and that raises concerns about funding cuts to education.