Write a Check Fundraiser

Today, I wanted to take a minute to explain our Write a Check fundraiser.  First let's talk about Robin Hood.  Many of you may know about the Robin Hood act.  Several of you (perhaps most) understand it better than I do.  For our purposes, Robin Hood is BAD!  Robin Hood takes a huge portion of our property taxes and sends it out of Coppell schools to other schools in the DFW area which are not as affluent as Coppell.  Millions of our tax dollars are being sent to DISD and other school districts around the area.  Coppell has to make up this shortage somehow.  One of the ways that Denton Creek is able to continue to be an exemplary school is with the financial support of the PTO.  Each year the PTO gives more than $50k to Denton Creek.  Those funds are used to purchase technology items (Smartboards, laptops, projectors, dvd players, etc), music equipment, tables, recess equipment, educational speakers, books, computer programs, classroom setup, etc.  Anytime there is a need at the school, the teacher or administrator will fill out a gift request which is then reviewed by the Gifts to DCE panel and is prioritized and voted on at the PTO meeting.  Without the PTO, DCE would not have many of the things it uses to function on a daily basis.  Without the HUGE support of Denton Creek parents, the PTO would have no money to help.

As a PTO, we choose not to ask our kids to go door to door selling products.  We don't ask our parents to sell products.  We have 2 huge fundraisers a year.  One is write a check in the fall.  The other is our auction  in the spring.  During the year, we have many passive fundraisers such as; gift cards, box tops, capri sun, recycling projects, socials, spiritwear, etc.  But the way we make the majority of money for our annual budget and gifts is from write a check and the auction.

This year, we have not come close to making our write a check goal.  I find this baffling.  First, we have MANY more students at DCE than we did last year.  Second, we have the most supportive 5th grade parents, we have ever had (thanks guys).  Typically, our 5th grade parents contribute less than any other grade at write a check time.  That is NOT the case this year.  As a PTO, we have worked much harder at communicating and giving people a lot of information about what PTO is doing and how the money is being spent and why these fundraisers are so important.  Knowing all of these things, I would have expected to see a much bigger contribution this year.  Instead we have had a significantly smaller contribution.

Why?  Did you just forget to send in your contribution?  Did it get lost in the mass of paper that comes home everyday?  Were you waiting for payday?  Do you feel like your small contribution of only $20 doesn't count or isn't good enough?  Do you not know how much to contribute?  No problem.  It is not too late.

EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS AND IS APPRECIATED.  Do you care about your child's education?  If the answer is yes, we ask that you help.  It is easy.  It takes less than 2 minutes to write a check (or send cash), stick it in the envelope and send it in your child's folder.  Are you not helping because you don't like where PTO is spending the money?  THEN GET INVOLVED IN PTO.  We need you.  We want you.  We value your input.

Please take a moment today to write your check.  Thank you for all you do to support our school.  Without you, our school would not be the exemplary school that it is.  If we do not meet our write a check goal of $17k (we made over $20k last year with a significantly less number of students), we will not be able to meet the needs of our students and the requests of our teachers this calendar year.  Please help.

Thank you.