In the midst of state and local budget crisises, the opportunity
for county public school students to have an enriched educational
experience has landed in the hands of their parents.
San Benito County – In the midst of state and local budget crisises, the opportunity for county public school students to have an enriched educational experience has landed in the hands of their parents.
Helping to keep art, music, sports and amenities like playgrounds and activities in the schools, Parent Teacher Organizations and Parents’ Club throughout the county have been volunteering their time to make sure their children don’t miss out.
“The state and the schools don’t have the resources anymore, so we’re trying to keep the quality of our students’ education high,” said Ray Thorpe, president of the Maze Middle School Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO).
Thorpe, whose daughter is a seventh-grader, runs the meetings on the first Tuesday of every month, and said the organization is not just about fund-raising.
“This is a way for parents to voice their opinions,” he said.
One school that voices its opinions and does a large amount of fund-raising is Ladd Lane Elementary.
Since joining the Ladd Lane Parents’ Club and becoming president, parent Saila Felver said the group of volunteer parents have raised enough money to put grass in at the school and they’ve also paid for a playground.
“We’re hear to enrich our children’s educational experience,” she said. “The district is in such a tight situation right now, that it’s up to us to keep school fun.”
Southside School Principal and Superintendent Eric Johnson agrees with Felver, and said without the Parents’ Club at his school, the educational experience for students would be pretty “bare boned.”
“Without their help and fund-raising, the kids would just come to school and go home,” he said. “There are a lot of programs like art and music and sports that the state no longer has money for, so in order to have them at our school we rely on the Parents’ Club.”
Parents’ Clubs and organizations are open to all parents, and in order to find out more about how to get involved, call the school your children attend.
Christine Tognetti covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 637-5566, ext. 330 or [email protected].
