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Schools are depending more and more on outside sources to fund programmes that used to be covered by government resources. In Toronto, fundraising in elementary schools increased 494% between 1998 and 2003, according to the Toronto Parent Network’s annual tracking report. In the report, TPN finds fundraising dollars being used for everything from textbooks and classroom supplies to fieldtrips and physical education equipment. Their conclusion is schools in rich, affluent neighbourhoods are able to give students a better education than those in impoverished neighbourhoods – a practice which is contrary to the spirit of a public education system.
To rectify this situation, school boards must eliminate contracts with soft drink providers and bring the delivery of beverages in schools back under the responsibility of the school board. This will give schools the opportunity to set their own standards for consumption as well as place juice and milk ahead of branded products. Further, it is vital that schools improve their delivery of the healthiest drink, water. In many older schools fountains provide drinking water that is discoloured or contains a curious taste due, primarily, to rusted pipes that in some cases date back decades. However if change will be made funding from senior government is a necessity because school boards have been placed between a rock and a hard place. On one hand school board trustees would like to remove corporate sponsorship and health risks from public education but on the other they cannot, with a conscience, eliminate any further dollars from an Ontario school system that has seen its funding stripped down to the bare bone. Additional provincial funding to replace every dollar spent in schools by soft drink companies must be allocated to allow the TDSB freedom from private sector investment. These dollars are especially important at this juncture because a new contract is in the process of being tendered that will render the TDSB discouragingly dependant for years to come.
For the system to continue to function in a manner that guarantees a high standard of universal education, corporate contracts must be handled with extreme caution. A corporation and a school board will rarely have mutual interest in the betterment of education. Companies are responsible to their shareholders and board members rather than school communities. In this case, a community is most concerned with maintaining its intimate role in governance of schools while the best choice for Coke is to have a life long customer.
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Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler
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Comments
Ally | Apr 2nd, 2004
Thank you very much for posting this interesting article Mr Chaleff-Freudenthaler, it has been very informative.
Fundraising Gerry Cockburn | Jun 17th, 2004
Excellent article. As a school administrator, and have served on tendering committees, you absolutely right.
I, another business partner have had some success with Family Vacation Programs as means of raising funds. Here is the site: www.businesstobusinessnetwork.com
Gerry
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