Page 3 - The Edge: Issue 5 2020

Volunteer Hour Change Should Be Reversed
This editorial represents the view of The Edge staff
Markers. Pencils. Whiteboards. Tissues. The contributions stacked up on the parent volunteer sheets being delivered to the front office every day. Classrooms were filling with their necessary supplies, stocked by parents who were working to achieve their 20-hour volunteer service requirement. As of November, however, these donations no longer counted toward parents’ expected volunteer hours, and busy parents’ one avenue of service was shut down.
Parent volunteer hours exist to help both Edgewood and the students in it- research shows that the more involved parents are in their child’s education, the better their child performs. According to a study conducted in 2002 by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, students whose parents are involved in their schooling are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school. Even beyond the benefits for students, volunteer hours are integral to Edgewood itself. The contributions of parents as organizers, chaperones, and fundraisers help to support the school’s functions. No one argues that it has an overwhelmingly positive effect on a school when parents get involved- but unavoidably, reality is that some parents just lack the time.
These parents are the ones who are going to be most affected by the policy change, announced in a November 19th email which was sent out to every parent at Edgewood. This email was written in language that mirrored emails being sent out to choice school parents all over the county- “To date it has been determined that we can no longer accept gift cards or donations in lieu of volunteer hours.” No parents who already turned in their donations will be affected by this decision, as donations that have already been accepted will still count toward this year’s hours, but this decision has still been highly controversial among parents. The details behind the reasoning for this policy change are hazy- no specific report has been released- but the story is that some parents at charter schools complained that other parents were able to easily fulfill their volunteer requirement through donations. As these schools required volunteer service by parents to maintain their child’s seat, some parents felt that schools were essentially requiring payment for enrollment at a public school. As such, a sweeping policy change was made at all Brevard County Choice schools, stating that donations would no longer be accepted for service.
This decision has opened up discussion about the concept of monetary equality versus time equality.
“Some people are arguing that it’s an equity issue, but what kind of equity are we talking about- time or money?,” said Mrs. Jackie Ingratta.
Every parent wants to be involved in their children’s lives.
Parents who attend sports games and school plays would surely still be there without the volunteer hour incentive. But for those who work busy jobs with irregular hours, devoting time to their children’s school comes second to devoting time to working to support those children. That is where the “time equity” concept comes in.
“My parents don’t always have time to volunteer, due to how often they have to work and also having baby siblings to take care of. My dad usually paid for his hours because he never had time to actually go out and volunteer,” said Aiden Kelleher, 10.
Parents who don’t have enough time to give 20 hours deserve to have another way to get their service done. For parents such as Kelleher’s, therefore, donations represented a convenient way both to help the school and to fulfill the service requirement. A five-dollar donation equaled one hour of service, and these donations were invaluable to the school’s funds.
Before the county-wide decision, donations from parents constituted a large portion of Edgewood’s funds. These donations allowed teachers to purchase things that did not fit into the budget, such as extra educational materials. Some of these donations even came in the form of a simple check written out to the school itself, which administration could use for any of Edgewood’s needs.
Choice schools need this help. Without the donations of parents who are trying to reach their volunteer hour requirements, Edgewood will certainly feel the loss. Teachers and program directors rely on these funds.
Parents are always looking out for the best interests of the school and their students. Still, without any incentive to give donations, the school will most likely find its monetary intake from donations dropping.
Edgewood exists because parents in Brevard County want the best education possible for their children. Schools of choice give parents the ability to make decisions concerning their children’s educations based on their personalized needs and strengths. Parents should never be forced to reconsider their child’s enrollment at a choice school because their busy job prevents them from volunteering. They should have the opportunity to achieve these requirements through making the donations that the school desperately needs. If you want the new decision to be reconsidered, you can call or write to the office of Equity, Innovation, and Choice (which is the companyresponsibleforparentvolunteerserviceforchoice schools in Brevard). And if you are ever having problems meeting the parent volunteer hour expectation, you can call Cindy Cahill, the Edgewood Volunteer Coordinator, at 454- 1030, ext. 24001, or email cahill.cynthia@brevardschools. org.
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