Director Duffy’s push to draw attention to the fact that the Scranton School District is woefully underfunded compared to similar districts in the state has blown up! Paul Duffy, Greg Popil, myself, and usually Barb Dixon have gone to tons of PTA meetings (only a few more left) and engaged people directly.
It’s gone far better than I could have imagined. A PTA parent began a petition (which is still going strong), we’re being talked about in the halls of Harrisburg, and the Scranton Federation of Teachers held a rally in front of Scranton High School on Monday! Groups that are almost never on the same page are standing together. The SFT, SSD Admin, the Scranton School Board, and PTAs are all in agreement: Scranton isn’t fairly funded. The numbers are stark: a kid from York is worth about $9,000 and a kid from Scranton is worth about $5,200. It just isn’t fair.
I’ve done about a dozen meetings since we started this crusade, and I’ve learned a lot along the way.
First, PTA meetings are FAR more rewarding than Board meetings and I believe all School Directors should attend them regularly. Parents and teachers can interact with their public servants directly, ask questions, clarify issues, and bring up what’s important to them, their kids, their schools, and their neighborhoods. I always leave a PTA meeting feeling positive. I don’t always feel that way after a Board meeting.
The next thing I’ve learned is that PTAs make GREAT partners. Idea after idea has come out in PTA meetings that would’ve never crossed my mind, or my fellow directors’ minds. I often say at meetings that we are better when we work together. That isn’t cheap rhetoric, it’s the truth. Some PTA Presidents suggested getting buses and heading to Harrisburg– great idea! One PTA President suggested coming to a Neighborhood Association meeting, so we did! Another great idea!
The final thing I’ve learned, or maybe reaffirmed, is that when people come together, good things happen.
It helps me to feel like we’re moving in the right direction.