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PTA council urges Ithaca school board to budget for grant writer, requests regular reporting slot
Summary
During public comment a PTA council representative asked the board to fund a grant‑writing position or consultant and to provide regular PTA Council reports to the board, arguing such capacity could increase revenue and reduce workload on administrators.
A PTA Council representative told the Ithaca City School District board during the public comment period that the district should budget for a paid grant-writer or consultant and offer the PTA Council a recurring slot to report to the board.
“I would really love to recommend support the concept that we include compensation for a grant writer or development person, a staff, or consultant,” the PTA Council representative said, arguing that grant-writing positions often “pay for themselves multiple times over” and that the district’s few administrative staff should not be expected to absorb that additional workload.
The spokeswoman for PTA Council (who identified her PTA role and not a personal name) also asked the board to consider a consistent agenda slot for PTA Council updates; she said the council is meeting monthly, has good attendance and plans a candidates forum in May. Board members responded positively to the idea, praised the PTA’s fundraising work and said the proposal would be considered during budget deliberations.
Why it matters: a dedicated grant-writing capacity could create new revenue streams for programs and reduce the administrative burden on central office staff—issues the board said it would evaluate as part of the upcoming budget cycle.
What happens next: board members directed staff to consider the PTA suggestion during budget development and to bring information about potential staffing or contracting approaches back to the finance committee.
