Equity

The following General Meetings have had all or a portion of the meeting dedicated to a presentation or discussion on Equity in PTOs.  How have other districts and PTOs addressed equity concerns?  What are the concerns about PTO equity in AAPS?  

• • November 2021: the Evanston  (IL) PTA Equity Project (PEP) presented its journey to a “one fund” initiative.
    
    
  • March 2022:  we learned about the Portland (OR) Public School Parents Fund, a district wide equity fund.
    
    
  • January 2023: the PTOC Equity Committee presented (in)Equity in AAPS, an analysis of AAPS PTO budgets for elementary and K-8 schools. This analysis showed that incomes for these PTOs range between $40 to $238 per student, with Title I schools having the lowest per-student PTO spending on average. A brief summary can be found here.
    
    
  • February 2023: Followup to January Equity presentation.
    
    
  • March 2023: Dr. Brittany Murray, the Malcolm O. Partin Assistant Professor of Educational Studies and Political Science at Davidson College, joined us to talk about why all this talk (and action) about PTO equity matters.
    
    
  • April 2023: we heard from families with students who receive special education services and other accommodations (e.g., food allergies) on how PTOs can foster more welcoming and inclusive events and communities.
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  • September 2023: Affordable Enrichment Ideas were discussed. Click here to see a recording of presentations from Leslie Science & Hands on Museum, PTO Thrift Shop, Ann Arbor Symphony, Embracing Our Differences, UM Natural History Museum, Black & Brown Theater and AADL.

If you have not seen these presentations, the full recording and supporting documents can be found under Meeting Records

With the belief that PTOs working together as one district can make a difference, the PTO Council initiated small efforts to lift up the needs at schools with higher economic needs: 

• • Winter/Spring of 2022: we facilitated support for staff appreciation at Pathways, Westerman, and the AAPS Bus Depot. Over the course of several months, our broader community stepped up to donate treats (pizza, donuts, ice cream, and other snacks) for staff appreciation.
    
    
  • August 2022: we promoted teacher wish lists from Title I schools on social media. Because donations were sent directly to teachers, we weren’t able to determine the impact.
    
    
  • September 2022: we promoted Donors Choose projects specifically at our Title I schools for a national matching day. These projects, as well as all the other active AAPS projects, were fully funded that day. 
    
    
  • November 2022: we again promoted Donors Choose projects at Title I schools for a Giving Tuesday matching opportunity. Fourteen of the 30 active AAPS projects were fully funded that day, of which seven were at Title I schools.
    
    
  • December 2022: working with Nancy Shore, the AAPS Strategic Partnership and Volunteer Coordinator, we promoted a Twelve Days of Giving campaign to lift up the AAPS Winter Giving needs of specific schools. AAPS received $10,000 in gift card donations and distributed hundreds of dollars in gift cards to 21 different schools, with at least $500 in gift cards to schools with the highest need.
    
    
  • February 2023: again working with the AAPS Strategic Partnership and Volunteer Coordinator, we promoted the call for basic supplies (e.g., diapers, toiletries, etc.) from our schools with families in need, including students and their families experiencing houselessness.

In January 2022, the PTOC created an Equity Committee open to PTOC Representatives and members of the community.  Meeting once or twice a month, the Equity Committee discusses issues of equity across the district and brainstorms on opportunities for change.

The first big project the Committee tackled was an analysis of PTO budgets.  The findings were presented at the January 2023 General Meeting.

Interested in joining the Equity Committee?  Email PTOC Chairs.

On March 2nd, 2023, the PTOC launched the first district wide fundraiser-- the $20 for $30k campaign!

• • We set a goal to raise just over $30,000 to boost PTO funds by $10 per student at each of our Title I elementary schools.
    
    
  • In celebration of their 30th anniversary, the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop offered to match donations up to $30,000.
    
    
  • Our community came together and by April 6th, 471 families and businesses donated $31,820!  
    
    
  • As a result, our Title I Elementary PTOs will receive over $17 per student!
    
    
  • The target distribution is the fall of the 2023-24 school year.

While we are proud of this first effort, we know that a single fundraiser will not achieve equity nor dramatically narrow the gaps in PTO funding.  But we do believe that, together with the generous support of our community, we:

• • Raised awareness of the issue of PTO funding inequities and its impact;

  • Fostered the understanding that we are one district, not merely individual schools; and

  • Galvanized our broader community’s collective responsibility to ensure all students receive equitable enrichment opportunities regardless of their families’ and neighborhood’s financial resources.

Thank you to the PTO Thrift Shop and our entire community for supporting this meaningful first step in closing the opportunity gap in our schools. 

News articles: (1) defining the problem, (2) examining attempts to address the problem, and (3) looking at the issue locally in Ann Arbor.