BONUS: Rethinking PTA Fundraising: 5 Ways to Create Fair School Funding

In this bonus episode, I reflect on my conversation with journalist Tom Hayden about the PTA Equity Project (PEP) in Evanston, Illinois. This groundbreaking initiative pooled $650,000 from wealthy school PTAs to help underserved schools but revealed unexpected challenges in balancing equity with school autonomy.

🎓 What You'll Learn:
➡️Why good intentions don't guarantee good outcomes in education
➡️How to balance equity with local autonomy in schools
➡️The real challenges of centralized vs. local school funding
➡️5 key takeaways for sustainable equity initiatives
➡️Why universities and broader communities need to be part of the solution

📚 About This Episode: This reflection dives deep into the complex ripple effects of the Evanston experiment, from hidden fundraising to community tensions. I share personal experiences from teaching in wealthy and underserved schools, offering unique insights into funding disparities.

💡 Key Topics Covered:
✨The PTA Equity Project's successes and failures
✨Balancing centralized funding with school autonomy
✨Building sustainable equity initiatives
✨Community partnerships for educational equity
✨Real-world examples from San Diego and NYC schools

Chapters
00:00 Introduction & What You'll Learn
01:00 About the PTA Equity Project in Evanston
02:00 Implementation Challenges & Hidden Consequences
03:00 Balancing Equity with Local Autonomy
04:00 Five Key Takeaways from Evanston's Experience
05:00 Practical Implications for Communities
06:00 Personal Teaching Experiences & Universities' Role
07:00 Conclusion & Community Call to Action

#EducationalEquity #PTAFunding #SchoolFinance #EvanstonIllinois #TeachingStrategies #EducationPodcast #SchoolFunding #EquityInEducation #PublicSchools #EducationReform #SchoolAutonomy #CommunityPartnerships #PTAEquityProject #EducationalPolicy #TeacherResources #SchoolImprovement #EducationLeadership #EquityVsEquality #SustainableEducation #SchoolGovernance

Make sure to listen to my full interview with Tom (Season 4, Episode 36) before diving into this bonus content! 

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired, and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

New episodes are released every Monday, with a bonus solo episode on Fridays featuring research-backed coaching and teaching strategies you can apply right away to better serve the children in your care.

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When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hi there. I'm so glad you're here. Your time is precious, and because of that, I want to let you know right away what you'll gain by listening to the very last second of this episode, my conversation with Tom Hayden, focused on the PTA Equity Project or PEP in Evanston, Illinois. This project illustrates how well-intentioned equity initiatives can create complex challenges when balancing centralized funding with school autonomy.

In this bonus episode, I highlight why educational equity isn't a destination. It's an ongoing conversation. You'll learn why good intentions don't guarantee good outcomes, how to balance equity with local autonomy, and why sustainable solutions require broad partnerships. Stay with me. I'm so happy to have you as a listener today.

This is Schoolutions Coaching and Teaching Strategies, the podcast that extends education beyond the classroom. A show that offers [00:01:00] educators and caregivers strategies to try right away and ensure every student receives the inspiration and support they need to thrive. Welcome to Friday's bonus episode of Schoolutions Coaching and Teaching Strategies.

I'm Olivia Wahl, and earlier this week I spoke with Tom Hayden about the PTA Equity Project in Evanston, Illinois. That conversation left me with so many thoughts about educational equity, school funding, and community collaboration that I wanted to share with you today. Let's dive in deeper to what we can learn from Evanston's experiment.

So in reflecting on the interview, Tom's perspective as a journalist, parent, and community member, gave us a rare window into how equity initiatives play out in practice. What struck me most was how a seemingly straightforward idea like pooling PTA funds to ensure all schools have equal resources, created such complex ripple [00:02:00] effects throughout the community.

If you have not already listened to the episode, press pause here. Go back and listen, and then circle back to this bonus. And if you have already listened, this is a good reminder of the context. The PEP fund started with $650,000 from wealthy school PTAs, and while it did provide field trips to students who had never had them before, it also is burning through money at an unsustainable rate.

The funds created hidden fundraising, community tensions, and questions about who should really be responsible for certain school improvements. As educators and parents we're often drawn to bold, sweeping solutions. But Tom’s reporting reminds us that the implementation details matter tremendously.

Good intentions don't automatically translate to good outcomes. And Tom shared a story that touched on a fundamental tension in education. That question of how do we balance equity with autonomy? Often when we [00:03:00] centralize resources, we may distribute them more fairly, but we also risk removing agency from individual communities.

I was particularly struck by Tom's example of Black-market PTAs forming when parents couldn't buy simple gifts for teachers. I shared in the episode it reminded me of my own experience teaching in New York City where I felt uncomfortable being auctioned off at a wealthy school's gala. Let's not forget, every community has its own definition of what their students need.

For some schools, it might be basic supplies or field trips. For others, it might be enrichment programs or guest speakers. That's why a one-size-fits all approach to equity often fails to account for all of these differences. And here's what I've always believed. I believe true equity isn't about making everything identical.

It's about ensuring every child has what they need to thrive. Sometimes that means different resources for different communities. And the challenge, the challenge is finding that balance [00:04:00] without perpetuating the very disparities that we're trying to eliminate. So I've had time to process some practical takeaways.

What can we learn from Evanston's experience? Here are five key takeaways I believe could help any community working toward more equitable school funding. First, start with clear metrics. What specific disparities are you trying to address? In Evanston, Tom mentioned that black student achievement was significantly lower than white student achievement. Having specific goals helps measure whether your initiative is working. 

Second, maintain local autonomy within a framework. Allow individual PTAs to keep some control over local decisions while contributing to the broader equity goals. The PEP fund eventually allowed schools to keep $5,000 for local needs, but only after experiencing problems.

Third, avoid conflicts of interest. Having school board members who could potentially close schools. [00:05:00] Also running the equity initiative created uncomfortable power dynamics. Keep governance structures clear and separate. 

Fourth, consider sustainability from the start. Any equity initiative needs a sustainable funding model, relying solely on one-time contributions from wealthier schools, created a ticking clock for Evanston's program.

And finally build broader community partnerships. Tom's point about universities like Northwestern, having resources but not being at the table was powerful. Educational equity shouldn't fall solely on the PTAs or even school districts. It requires businesses, higher education, city government, and other organizations working together. And I've been thinking a lot about my own experiences with school funding disparities.

When I taught in City Heights in San Diego, my students mostly Somali refugees, had so few resources. Then I [00:06:00] moved to Murray Hill in New York City where PTAs funded extravagant enrichment programs. And the divide between wealthy and poor students was visible even within my own classroom. Neither extreme felt right. 

In City Heights, my students deserve so much more than they had in Murray Hill. The wealth created uncomfortable dynamics and expectations at times. What I believe now is that we need transparency and collaboration above all. When we make funding decisions behind closed doors or without involving all people impacted, we miss crucial perspectives.

And so then I've been wondering, what if instead of just pooling money, we first pooled our understanding of what different schools actually need. What if parents from wealthy and underserved schools sat together to really hear each other before deciding how to allocate resources? 

And I can't stop thinking about Tom's point regarding universities. Cornell and Ithaca College are right here in [00:07:00] Ithaca. What role should they play in supporting our public schools? And so then what's important to remember? Educational equity isn't a destination. It's an ongoing conversation and commitment. The PTA Equity Project in Evanston shows us both the power and the limitations of community driven initiatives.

What I hope you take from this conversation is that equity work requires both bold vision and careful attention to detail. It requires seeing the big picture while also respecting the unique needs of each community. And so with that said, I'd love to hear your thoughts. How does your community approach funding disparities between schools?

What equity initiatives have you seen work well? Send me an email at schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com or leave a comment. Thank you for joining me for this bonus episode. I can't wait to see you on Monday. 

Schoolutions Coaching and Teaching [00:08:00] Strategies is created, produced, and edited by me, Olivia Wahl. Thank you to my older son, Benjamin, who created the music playing in the background. You can follow and listen to Schoolutions wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe to never miss an episode and watch on YouTube. 

Now, I'd love to hear from you. How does your community approach funding disparities between schools? What equity initiatives have you seen work well? Send me an email at schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com or leave a comment and don't forget to tune in every Monday for the best research-backed coaching and teaching strategies you can apply right away to better the lives of the children in your care.

Stay tuned for my bonus episodes every Friday where I'll reflect and share connections to what I learned from the guest that week. See you then.