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PTOs urge changes to facility-staffing rules after cafeteria, custodial fees cut into fundraising
Summary
PTO leaders told the school committee that cafeteria-staffing and custodial requirements for after-hours events are reducing net fundraising. Committee members discussed Department of Revenue limits on municipal support for private fundraising and directed staff to explore options including Board of Health permits and contract changes.
PTO leaders from Pine Glen and Memorial schools told the April 1 Burlington School Committee that facility-staffing rules — particularly the requirement to have cafeteria staff and custodians present for some after-hours events — are reducing the net proceeds of their fundraisers.
Margo Bunker, Pine Glen PTO president, and Colleen Shannon, Memorial PTO events chair, said recent events such as carnivals and pancake breakfasts yielded little or no profit once required staffing fees were paid. "The profit we would have gained, which would have been almost a thousand dollars from the pancake breakfast, we had to use to pay the bill that the cafeteria workers gave us," Shannon said. Bunker and other PTO representatives urged the committee to consider ways to allow community groups more feasible access to kitchens and cafeterias without extinguishing their fundraising proceeds.
School facilities staff described constraints that limit options: kitchen staff are licensed and insured employees whose contract requires their presence when the school kitchen is used, and custodial staffing levels are set by contractual obligations tied to size of events. The administration also cited state guidance (Department of Revenue) on the "Anti-Aid Amendment," which limits municipal resources from being used to assist private fundraising activities even when the fundraising benefits school programs.
Officials discussed possible workarounds and options. Suggestions included allowing community groups to use cafeteria space without using the kitchen (bringing prepared food) or applying for one-day Board of Health permits for parent volunteers to prepare food; expanding the community custodial fund to better cover custodial hours for events; and clarifying contract language so groups and staff understand staffing thresholds. Facilities staff said they would research options and report back to the committee; the administration cautioned that some uses (kitchen preparation) will continue to require a licensed cafeteria employee for food-safety and insurance reasons.
The committee later approved a warrant article supporting the community custodial account for $74,783; the motion passed during the capital-warrant votes that followed the facilities discussion.
Why this matters School-based community events are a major revenue source for many PTOs and youth groups. If required staffing charges consume a significant share of those proceeds, school volunteers say it undermines the point of fundraising and limits enrichment activities. The legal constraint cited in the meeting — state guidance on municipal assistance and fundraising — narrows the set of policy solutions the committee can approve without external approvals.
What the committee asked for next Administration and facilities staff will examine contract language, Board of Health one-day permit options, historical custodial-hour usage, and whether the custodial/community facilities fund allocation can be restructured to reduce the cost burden on school-based fundraisers. The committee asked staff to return with a recommended approach and clearer guidance for PTOs.
