WHY DO WE NEED TO RAISE FUNDS?
The PTO funds and supports programs and resources above and beyond those afforded by the City of Newton’s education budget, supplementing and supporting our children’s curriculum and cultural growth.
Funds raised enhance Angier in ways that are not funded by the Newton Public Schools. Our annual operating budget for ’24-25 was nearly $67,000, which equated to over $175 of support per student.
Your contributions are invaluable to fund our annual operating budget. They go directly to Angier, and they benefit our school only. To put it simply, the school depends on our funds to help run our school.
Below we:
- Review our fundraising sources of cash.
- Disclose our budget allocation and how each key area supports the community.
Our budget guiding principles are to maintain a strong financial position, reflect the needs and wants of the community, and comply with city-wide PTO rules, such as equity. With your support, we are in a great financial position to achieve these!
Fundraising
We have two main fundraisers annually:
- October’s Community Dinner was another huge success! From appetizers to dinners to dessert at the Windsor Club, Waban was bustling with Angier families moving around town! Net of expenses, this fun night raised almost $6,000.
- Our largest fundraiser is An Evening for Angier (AEFA). Last year, our all-star committee raised $85,000 net of expenses! This event is a true labor of LOVE, and we are so grateful for all the support our community gave to this event. Please consider attending and donating at this year’s event.
We ask for contributions for initiatives like bulk supplies, classroom funds, and holiday giving. Those donations go directly to fund the named initiative.
In the ’23-24 school year and early part of the ’24-25 school year, we regularly charged a ticket fee (e.g., PJs & Pancakes) or suggested donation (e.g., Ligerbots) for events. Those fees went directly to the events but may not have covered all event expenses.
Note that we also executed some additional smaller fundraising initiatives (e.g., Angier Wear, MINTED.) The 5th grade committee’s fundraising is self-contained.
Budget Allocation
These are our ’23-24 financials broken down by key budget area, with further details following. We hope this is helpful in explaining how we allocate the money raised.
2023-2024 Final PTO Expense Budget
- Educational Enrichment & Equity $32,110
- School Support $21,530
- Community Engagement $4,107
- PTO Operations & Communications $8.464
- Technology $451
Total $66,663
EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT & EQUITY ($32,110)
This is our largest and most important investment, aimed at helping teachers and staff accomplish their goals and enriching students’ school experience.
- Creative Arts and Science (CAS) is Newton’s K-5 program providing arts and sciences programming for students. Program selection and funding is managed at the school level and funded entirely by the PTO. In ’23-24, the PTO spent approximately $17,000, or approximately $45 per student. This is the PTO’s largest line item and is expected to grow for ’24-25.
- The PTO also provides money to all teachers, including the specialists and special educators, at the beginning of each school year to help offset teachers’ use of their own money to purchase classroom items. On average, most teachers spend $500 of their own money on classroom purchases.
- We typically allocated a large portion of funds to special campaigns. In ’22-23, we purchased flexible seating for the classrooms. In ’23-24, we bought gym equipment including two outdoor soccer goals and recess games. These, and all of our purchases, are in compliance with the city-wide equity guidelines.
- Finally, we allocate funds to our library so that Ms. Donovan can refresh well-loved books. And we provide Dr. H with teacher development expenses.
SCHOOL SUPPORT and OPERATIONS ($21,530)
This investment is wide-ranging and addresses the diverse needs of the community. Room Parents engage and support classrooms. The PTO closes the gap to ensure that each class has the funds they need for class parties and gifts. Teachers and staff value appreciation events hosted throughout the year, including multiple lunches and celebration weeks. These investments do more than just give us the opportunity to show our thanks, they help build strong connections and a positive culture amongst those who work at Angier. In addition, the PTO pays for Pickup Patrol. We also respond to many special requests from the social worker each year. And we maintain the outdoor spaces beyond what the city’s Parks & Recreation department does.
COMMUNITY BUILDING ($4,107)
The PTO funds and organizes a variety of fun events throughout the year to strengthen our community of caregivers and students. Some of our favorite budgeted events are Back-to-School Picnic, Fun Fridays, Caregivers’ Night Out, and New Family Welcomes.
PTO COMMUNICATIONS ($8,464)
Communication is critical when building community. Our operating budget includes a technology allowance to support tools such as the Angier Directory, which allows the community to safely share contact information and stay connected.
TECHNOLOGY ($451)
NPS funding allocation is not sufficient to meet their own minimum recommended level of access to technology. NPS relies on PTOs to bridge the gap and even includes PTO funding as a line item in its technology budget. Thanks to generous support from Angier caregivers, we are currently at the highest standard for technology in classrooms.
The PTO recently purchased microphones for co-taught classrooms to help increase engagement with those students who are hearing impaired. These classrooms previously only had one microphone.
UNFORESEEN EXPENSES
From time to time there will be expenses that arise. Together with Dr. H, we discuss the need and evaluate if we can fund via our current operating expense budget.
CASH RESERVE
We currently have adequate cash in reserve to fund the enhancement of the Angier playground with swings. In order to ensure the integrity of this investment without compromising investments for the ’25-26 school year, it is important that we have a strong fundraising result from this year’s AEFA.
Re-envisioning the Budget for ’25-26
This winter, the PTO reverted back to pre-COVID practice of not charging at most events, excluding our fundraisers. We want to make sure that events are accessible and enjoyed by all in our community. We thank the donors to fundraisers such as the Community Dinner and AEFA who have made this possible.
The NPS budget will remain tight for the foreseeable future, so it is important for the PTO to continue to provide financial support to the school while complying with city-wide PTO rules. Your donations make it possible to provide a stimulating, rich, and robust school experience for every child at Angier.
