Its Fundraising Time :(

I hate that we live in a country where education is so undervalued by our government, whatever party happens to be in power. Teachers train four + years and have to fight for a 2% pay rise and schools are not given the funding that they need to make their schools fun and stimulating for our kids. Sadly schools have to resort to fundraising, even the most expensive schools ask parents and members of the community for contributions.

I remember the look of dread that passed over all of the mum's faces when on picking up our kids from pre-school they all emerged holding a giant box of Natural Confectionary fundraising lollies. Any kid who was beginning to doubt whether they liked school was at that time convinced that it was the best place ever. Some could barely carry the box, others then went on to meet their siblings, who also had boxes. All thought that the nice teacher had given them a giant box of lollies and that these lollies were for them!

The Department of Education has a very strict healthy eating policy, yet year after year they get away with sending their students home with unhealthy food, food banned on their policy, to raise funds. Of course we ate all of the lollies that were sent home with Riley, there is no way that we were going door knocking to sell the booty. It is annoying when little kids knock on your door selling you stuff that you don't want and of course you buy it because you feel sorry for them lugging their box of chocolates/lollies around the streets.

When we moved Riley to a private school and had to pay a fundraising levy each term, I felt that surely that would mean no fundraising. I was wrong. The fundraising there ranged from selling weedy looking plants from their garden under the guise of being flowers every Friday to an annual ball. Every single Friday Riley wanted to by a plant, every time we did buy one, it died.

Now we are back in the goverment system and its fundraising time again. There is a new look to fundraising, maybe its an old look, but I haven't seen it before. The fundraising is for a fun run, and I kid you not, the school has arranged it so that each class will be participating for a total of 10 minutes. Riley's class starts at 1.55 and finishes at 2.05 according to the schedule, this is pretty good for Riley as he's not much of a runner and will probably manage to meander two laps in that time. This fundraising system will really work for Riley because it really does not matter if they participate at all, it is just a pledge sheet (starting with $5), its the money that counts!

Riley's school has decided to use the Australian Fundraising company to help them with their fun run. Children receive a 'prize' for the money raised. "Prizes' range from a bendable pen and the like if you raise 10-19 dollars to an eBook reader and the like if you raise more than 500 dollars. According to the Australian Fundraising website, they take 30%-40% (+GST) of the profits raised. The brochure also contains tips for fundraising, like, "Phone distant friends and relations".

I have a problem with this form of fundraising for a number of reasons. Firstly, what about those kids whose parents either do not make much money, or don't help with the fundraising? I hate the thought of kids walking the streets asking strangers to sponsor them just so that they can get a cool toy. Secondly, if you are going to fundraise, I don't think kids should be given incentives, do they then need an incentive to clean their room, lay then table etc.? Thridly, I cannot understand why a school would be willing to lose 30-40% + GST of their profits by using a fundraising organisation.

My main problem is with the government though, why should schools have to fundraise?

Riley has circled a number of 'prizes' he would like, sadly he has circled nothing in the $29 -$79 range which is where we will end up as we are not going to ring distant friends or relations, and we are not pounding the pavement.