This is your beginning-of-school-year reminder that if you want to volunteer in your child’s school, then you need to apply for or renew your Chatham County School Volunteer Application. You can do this on the CCS website. Once a background check has been completed, you’ll be notified of your approval status, generally within two weeks.
Now that you’re ready to volunteer, my goal is to convince you to join the PTA at your child’s school, as this is the number one best way to get involved. In addition to providing volunteer opportunities such as being a lunchtime monitor in the cafeteria, PTAs help make up the difference when it comes to funding. Here in Chatham County, we are fortunate to have the Chatham PTA Thrift Shop, which provides the bulk of money to CCS’ PTAs. In 2023, schools made between $24,000 and $62,000, depending on the number of volunteer hours earned. While volunteers are typically able to choose where a portion of the money earned per hour goes (e.g., a specific teacher, club, team, honor society), the majority of PTA Thrift Shop funds are used to provide resources for teachers and students. This past year Pollard Middle School, for example, voted to give each teacher a $250 grant at the beginning of the year to purchase supplies for their classrooms. They also used PTA Thrift Shop funds to purchase an upright bass for the band, band and chorus sheet music, snacks for after school tutoring, items for the spring musical, and bringing in performances such as Number Drummers. Further, funds helped supply a counselor’s closet with clothing, personal care items, and school supplies for students who may need them, and also paid off outstanding lunch balances at the end of the school year.
With their Thrift Shop funds, Seaforth High School’s PTSA (the “S” stands for students) bought books for EC and English classrooms; supplies for a physics program; art supplies; and coffee supplies, lunches, and gift cards for teachers and staff. They were also able to fund field trips to the Morehead Planetarium, Carolina Tiger Rescue, and Model UN conferences.
Besides funding from the PTA Thrift Shop, PTAs hold some of their own fundraisers, but rest assured, they do not involve selling candy bars or wrapping paper. Chatham Grove’s PTA has an annual Gator Chase 5K, and last year they teamed up with local bakery Carolina Cravings for a Thanksgiving Pie Fundraiser to support school clubs and club supplies. In 2023, Pollard’s PTA had a No Fuss Fundraiser in which they simply asked for money and raised close to $12,000.
As you can see, PTAs play a critical role in ensuring our students have the resources they need to succeed. While North Carolina’s public schools continue to grapple with diminished support from the state, PTAs are necessary in making up the difference, especially considering that North Carolina ranks 48th in per pupil spending–$4,600 below the national average–and 50th in funding effort. Taking into account that our state has some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation–46th in starting teacher pay and 38th in overall teacher pay–it’s also imperative that PTAs help teachers feel appreciated.
In addition to fundraising, PTAs are essential in bringing school communities together. Chatham Grove, for example, has an annual holiday lights event with a walk through light show, hot cocoa and music. In 2023, the PTA added a holiday market to the event, allowing local artists to showcase their wares. Pollard’s PTA hosts an ice cream party for students post EOG testing, while Seaforth’s PTSA has a tradition of creating and handing out Valentine’s Day cards to all students and staff.
And if you really want to know what’s going on in your child’s school, then you need to attend a PTA meeting. Did you know, for instance, that the school principal attends meetings and provides a principal’s report? This direct access to the principal is your chance to ask questions and raise concerns. Meetings are also a great opportunity to provide feedback, help plan events, and stay informed on what teachers and students are planning as all PTAs have teacher representatives and middle and high school PTAs/PTSAs typically have student representatives from student government. So if you want to be among the first to know the prom theme, decide how to show your school’s hard working teachers the appreciation they deserve, or vote on the budget, get yourself to a PTA meeting!
