New fundraising policy angers Soquel Union parents

By Kara Guzman, Santa Cruz Sentinel

POSTED: 12/15/14, 6:53 PM PST |

What: Public discussion on school board policy change on the relationship between principals and Home and School clubs.

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: New Brighton Middle School performing arts center, 250 Washburn Ave., Capitola.

Details: Visit tinyurl.com/soquelsb or call 831-464-5630.

CAPITOLA >> Soquel Union Elementary school district parents are upset about a policy change that gives principals and the board control over parent fundraising, and the district is responding with a public discussion during Wednesday’s board meeting.

On Nov. 19, the board rewrote its policy on parent-driven fundraising, requiring board authorization for fundraising efforts. The update to the 2006 policy brings the district into alignment with California School Boards Association practices.

Wendy Young, president of Soquel Elementary’s Home and School club, said she fears clubs like hers will lose independence because the new policy requires parent nonprofits to consult with principals on funding needs. Currently, her principal is one of five voting members on the nonprofit board, and how that will change next year is unclear.

A statement from her nonprofit read, “It is clear to our organization that the current SUESD board sees us as nothing other than a source of revenue and that we, as parents and constituents, have no idea what is good for our children.”

Chris Hadland, co-chair of Main Street Elementary’s Home and School club, said he was upset bystatements from Superintendent Henry Castaniada at the Nov. 19 meeting, which suggested inequities in how clubs allocate funds. Hadland said after hearing the accusations, he emailed other district club leaders, kicking off a public outcry.

The next board meeting on Dec. 3 was filled with more than 100 parents, many who were upset about the policy change, Hadland said.

Castaniada said the update to this board policy is routine and does not represent a power grab. How exactly the policy will be administered will be decided in January, but he does not expect many differences next year, he said.

Since 2013, parent clubs have had more leeway to fund extracurriculars, since the district began funding $135,000 of library and technology aides — a cost formerly assumed by parents.

“There’s not going to be very much change, but the principal will have more information, a larger overview,” said Castaniada, who encouraged parents to come to Wednesday’s board meeting.

Kerry LeRoux, Santa Cruz Gardens principal, said not much will change for her school’s nonprofit, which, unlike the other schools, consults the principal on funding decisions.

“There is still a vote involved, and there is still discussion, and the principal doesn’t get to just grab the purse and walk off and decide what to spend it on,” LeRoux said. “It’s very much a back-and-forth conversation.”

LeRoux said she’s grateful for a positive partnership, and said only twice in the past two years has her funding request been denied by her Home and School club. As principal, she acts as keeper of the school’s vision, she said.

“As long as that message is very clear and all of us know the direction that we’re going in, there’s not a whole lot of room for conflict,” LeRoux said.

Soquel UNION school board meeting

What: Public discussion on school board policy change on the relationship between principals and Home and School clubs.

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: New Brighton Middle School performing arts center, 250 Washburn Ave., Capitola.

Details: Visit tinyurl.com/soquelsb or call 831-464-5630.

D Williams 9 hours ago
As a parent, donor and volunteer at fundraising events sponsored by one of the local home-school clubs, I object to the claims and justification made by the board and the Principal quoted in this article.

First, alignment with the CSBA is not relevant; of course school boards want more control over whatever money they can find. What else is the CSBA going to advocate?

Second (and then some), the home school clubs are parent volunteer organizations chartered to address needs unmet by the school district that cannot be paid for in any other way. They are NOT a funding source for school districts to tap at will and have no obligation to meet specific funding requests made by principals, superintendents or boards. These organizations are staffed by volunteers who donate and raise funds with the expectation that the club will spend these funds in alignment with the club’s charter and the wishes of its members. The principal is given one of five votes in club board decisions and the right of refusal to use school premises for club functions. The setup seems just right for motivating parents who can, to give, and for schools with difficult funding scenarios to gratefully (and one hopes, gracefully) receive the blessings of a generous community. I, for one, will lose my motivation to contribute and will advocate for the dissolution of our club if the board and Principals succeed in this attempt to exert undue control over the clubs’ fundraising and spending policies. To the contrary, they must now work to repair what has up to now been a productive and cooperative partnership to maintain (only just…) the parts of an education that we the public have for some reason decided are not worthy of public support (music, art, literature…).
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- DudeSC D Williams 11 minutes ago
  Well said! My wife and I will also not participate if the Principal and Superintendent get to play gatekeeper on the money we raise for our children. When Principal Kerry misbudgets, and threatens to lay off a staff member unless the Home and School Club antes up the dough to pay for a staff position which we should not have to cover, this is nothing less than extortion.
  
  Also, the article DID NOT MENTION Henry's accusation of inequity among the home and school clubs. What the heck Reporter Kara Guzman??? He provided NO examples and gave NO specifics and the Board bought it w/o any verification. Henry and the current Board.... NEED TO GO. Another finely botched article by the Sentinel, bravo.
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SoquelPaws 11 hours ago

Here is the complete statement we gave to the Sentinel

"Our Home & School Club has always seen itself as a way to fund
activities that the District had deprioritized and stopped funding. For
many years now, that has meant funding art and music programs, etc. But
it can't be overlooked that the reason that we fund those things for our
school is because the District would not. We, as parents, strive to
ensure that our children get, what we consider, a complete and well
rounded education. To force us to raise funds for only those items that
the District sees as essential completely misses the point of our
group.

On November 19th, our superintendent laid out his plans to eliminate our independence, and at the same time went on a prolonged character attack on our District wide
organizations.

Rather than defend us from these attacks, the SUESD board actually did worse
than nothing, and voted to approve the Board Policy that the
superintendent requested in order to enact his plan.

It is clear to our organization that the current SUESD board sees us as
nothing other than a source of revenue and that we, as parents and
constituents, have no idea what is good for our children."