The Willow Glen Resident

PTAs help provide support to area schools

Giving money and time, parents work to supplement district's offerings

By Michelle Ku

As students return to school, so do their parents, as members of local parent-teacher associations.

Every year, PTAs make valuable contributions to the schools they serve by supplementing the district's funding. At Willow Glen schools, the PTAs are gearing up for another year of fundraising to provide services for their children.

Every year, the Booksin Elementary School Community Association (BESCA)--Booksin's nonprofit parent group--provides the school with services ranging from full-time volunteer librarians to parent-run art lessons. The group funds field trips and physical education teachers and provides $15 per student to buy supplies not provided by the district.

"Our parent group raises about $100,000 each year that funds things like our own science consultant, a life lab and a new playground and pays for our children to have art lessons," BESCA president Karen Clinton said. "Our children get a lot of things that they would not have without the fundraising that we do. We're providing a service for the children that the district does not provide."

For the last two years, BESCA has provided the school with three full-time volunteer librarians who run the library. Ann Tompkins, Barbara Black and Carmen Nicholls--also known as "The ABCs"--have kept the library open for classrooms during school hours, including recess and lunchtime. Before the ABCs ran the library, it was only open part time.

The beginning of the academic year does not mark the beginning of the Willow Glen Elementary School PTA's work. In June, the WGESPTA pinpointed its priority goals for the year, said co-president Joe Guerra. Each year, the board of the WGESPTA has a strategic planning session where they create a priority list to decide how to spend their approximately $50,000 annual budget.

The top three items on the group's priority list are the Body Builder Motor Perception Program, classroom subsidies and playground improvement. Traditionally, the WGESPTA contributes $1,000 to purchase equipment for the program in which students learn about their bodies, motor skills and physical perceptions. This year, the WGESPTA is contributing more than usual because the district was unable to continue funding the program.

The organization also provides teachers with money per student. More than $20,000 is spent on classroom subsidies and classroom support, including assemblies and field trips.

Playground improvement is another focus for the WGESPTA this year because the school lost playground space due to the new 20-to-1 student-teacher ratio. "We need to expand the playground," Guerra said. "We lost all of our swings and most of our slides to portables for 20-to-1."

HABLA Friends of River Glen Elementary School, the nonprofit parent organization of River Glen, offers many of the same services that BESCA and the Willow Glen Elementary School PTA provide. HABLA purchases classroom supplies for teachers and earmarks funds for computer upgrades. Books are also purchased for the school library as well as for classroom libraries.

Through a SCRIP program, HABLA funds the salary of a music teacher who goes to the school every week for singing lessons. Last May, the organization put in a new playground through a grant from the city of San Jose.

The Home and School Club--a nonprofit parent organization--at Schallenberger Elementary School also provides a variety of services to the school.

The club raises approximately $30,000 to $35,000 every year. This year the club plans to raise $30,000, club president Marci Cremer said.

The money raised is spent on technology, classroom support, assemblies, reward incentives, art lessons, math and science programs and science camp. Scholarships are provided to the students who cannot afford the cost of science camp.

The Home and School Club's major project this year is to either create a life lab at the school or provide science boxes to teach science using gardening techniques.

"It's a really good relationship," Cremer said. "We appreciate the care and teaching provided by the parents and we, in turn, provide the support possible by providing supplementary educational opportunities. It's kind of a win-win situation on all sides for the parents, kids and teachers."

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