October 21, 2010

Our School Needs

With the economy still in crisis and thousands of Americans out of work, it’s no surprise that our schools are suffering from budget cuts. Our local school district tried to pass a referendum last year to increase their budget so that extra-curricular activities (sports, music, arts) would not be cut as well as to prevent layoffs of several teachers. The referendum failed and schools resorted to familiar methods of bringing in the money: fundraisers, bake sales, and recruiting parent volunteers to fill the voids the layoffs left behind.

Now that Dawson is in kindergarten he is always bringing home newsletters and special notes about all the efforts the school is making to raise money. We’ve sold magazine subscriptions to family and friends. We sold chocolates and gift items. Student fees increased from $20 a year to $35. Just last week my son brought home another fundraiser. Now we’re selling organic produce grown by local farmers. A percentage of money raised will go to the school, and a donation of food as well as money will go to a local church that hosts a Thanksgiving Meal for homeless in our area. Next week I have to make dozens of cupcakes for a bake sale. The fundraisers never end.

Most of the money needed is to keep the fun activities kids can participate in after school, as well as for field trips and other learning needs. It makes me sad that our kids suffer by going without these things. School is for learning, but learning should be fun.

On the flip side, I understand how our community voted against the referendum. There are so many residents who have lost their jobs and are doing their best to make ends meet. They just can’t afford the raise in taxes. As someone who was jobless for 9 months, I know exactly how they feel.

I was very excited to learn that Bing is holding a contest called Our School Needs where students can write an essay telling Bing what their school needs (a science lab? a new art department? classrooms equipped with computers and other technology?). They can work in groups, classes, or even school-wide to write an essay and take pictures finishing the sentence “Our School Needs: ___________.” To enter:

•Write an essay (500 to 800 words)
•Take pictures (3 to 5 photos)
•Film a video (not required, but fun! Maximum of 3 minutes in length)
Who Can EnterAny student or teacher from a K-12 school can enter. While students under 18 are encouraged to create the entry, a parent, legal guardian or a teacher must submit it.

Bing will award a quarter-million dollars, divided among four schools—$50,000 to three first-prize winners, and one $100,000 grand prize. Pretty darn cool, right?

Check out this video:

What are you waiting for? There’s still time to enter! Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, October 24, with voting remaining open until Tuesday, October 26th.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.