Plymouth Schools Raise Nearly $600,000 in Fundraising Efforts

Committee discusses need for accurate reporting and sharing of successful strategies

PLYMOUTH, MA - July 8 - Plymouth school district's fundraising efforts have yielded impressive results, with schools raising nearly $600,000 gross and netting almost $400,000 for student activities, according to a report presented at the July 8 school committee meeting.

School Business Administrator Dr. Adam Blaisdell, presenting the FY 24 fundraising report, stated, "The schools raised just under $600,000 for gross, and just under $400,000 for net to run numerous activities, student activities throughout the year, student activities, student government, all sorts of different activities."

However, the report raised questions about the accuracy of some schools' reporting. Some schools reported a 100% return on investment, which committee members and administrators found unlikely.

"I believe that's not accurate," said Blaisdell, regarding South Elementary School's reported 100% return. "I would probably guess that would be somewhere in like the 52% range, just from my knowledge of it."

The discrepancies prompted discussions about improving the reporting process. Superintendent Dr. Chris Campbell suggested, "We'll review with them before the start of the school year so that everybody, okay, you know, because obviously, and you know, more than most that we want to make sure that our numbers are accurate."

Committee members also proposed sharing successful fundraising strategies among schools. Michelle Badger, committee chair, noted, "We've got some schools who are really doing 100% of what their, you know, their ROI is 100%, and then we have others that are at 60. Just wonder, I think that goes back to some of the conversations we've had about getting them to our PTAs and our other groups to kind of get together and have a conversation about what works and what doesn't."

Blaisdell expressed concerns about the completeness of the data, stating, "I think what we have to do is we have to review with principals and buildings in regards to making sure that these fundraising forms are making it to our office, because I'm not 100% sure. Just knowing some of the schools and some of the money that's been raised, I think some of these totals are actually a little higher, to be honest with you."

The committee also briefly discussed Measure J, a one-cent sales tax that provides over 10% of the city's general fund revenue. A portion of this tax is used annually to fund community-initiated projects.