Coordinating Policy Layers of School Fundraising in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: An Institutional Ethnography

Abstract

In this article, I report findings from an investigation into the politics and coordination of school fundraising in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Theoretically grounded in institutional ethnography and critical policy analysis, the study began from the standpoint of parents asked to give money to their children's school(s). I show how provincial and TDSB funding, parent involvement, fundraising, and school council policies organize parents' experience of school fundraising. I also explore how participating in fundraising enables parents to meet neoliberal expectations of a "good parent" and how through their efforts to secure advantages for their children, fundraising parents are accomplices in the privatization of public education. I conclude by discussing possibilities for intervention into the social organization of school fundraising in Toronto schools.

Voluntary school fees in segregated public schools: how selective public schools turbo-charge inequity and funding gaps

“…Parent-generated revenue in public schools, in the form of fee-giving or fundraising, is fast developing as a robust source of financial revenue for public schools in countries such as Australia Perry 2020b, 2020a;Thompson, Hogan, and Rahimi 2019), Canada (Yoon, Young, and Livingston 2019;Winton 2018aWinton , 2018b) and the United States (Posey-Maddox 2016;Powers and Potterton 2018). Parents as revenue-generators has important and timely implications for considering differing corollaries of market logics, such as privatisation, competition and school autonomy.…”

Skin in the Game: A Policy Implementation Study of How School-Level Bureaucrats Set and Rationalize Advanced Placement Exam Fees for Low-Income Students

“…By zeroing out their AP exam budgets, it forces schools to charge no more than is required for the sole purpose of test administration. This is particularly salient during lean times when schools may try to generate alternative forms of revenue (Winton, 2019 ). Policymakers can also prohibit low-income students’ contributions from subsidizing other students.…”

Lies, Denials, and Cover-Ups: The Pervasiveness of Whiteness in School Districts Relations with Black and Racialized Parents

“…Schooling is funded on a per-pupil basis, and similar to the US, enrollment is designated by zone/ward and is intended to provide equal educational opportunities for all students. However, this equal distribution leads to inequitable outcomes, as schools in lower-income neighborhoods spend their funding on students’ basic needs, whereas schools in affluent neighborhoods often spend their funds on non-necessities and can engage in massive fundraising efforts (Winton, 2016). So much like the US, affluent neighborhoods have higher academic scores and resources and the neighborhoods already at the margin struggle to meet the needs of its students.…”