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Northbridge School Committee adopts student fundraising policy after public calls for clearer fundraiser accounting
Summary
After public comment urging clearer disclosure about fundraiser costs and vendor margins, the Northbridge School Committee voted unanimously to adopt an updated student fundraising policy (JJE) intended to meet legal changes while acknowledging it may be revised following feedback.
The Northbridge School Committee unanimously adopted an updated student fundraising policy (JJE) after residents urged the committee to require clearer disclosure of fundraising costs and proceeds.
At the meeting, resident Rob Contois told the committee that certain fundraisers leave families unsure how much of their contributions reach the school, saying, “Families deserve honesty about where their money is going,” and urging the policy to require estimated cost and proceeds information, including how much vendors retain. Contois said Boosterthon’s structure can lead families to believe donations go directly to the school while a significant portion is retained by the vendor.
Liza Beaudry, treasurer for the NES PTA and leader of the Boosterthon oversight committee, responded during public comment that the PTA maintains budget spreadsheets and that the committee includes input on price structure and margins. “This information is actually clearly outlined in our budget,” Beaudry said, and added that this year’s Boosterthon includes a literacy focus and local sponsors participating in community events.
Committee members said the JJE policy was drafted to bring district practice into compliance with recent legal changes and to provide a framework for fundraising oversight. The policy as adopted preserves school committee approval and requires memoranda of understanding with sponsors, while leaving room for additional detail to be added later. Committee members acknowledged public concern and said they would take the comments into account in future revisions.
Heather Alden moved to adopt the policy and a committee member seconded. The committee approved the policy by roll-call vote: Jonathan Canoy — yes; Pam LaPorte — yes; Carl Cowen — yes; Heather Alden — yes. The committee recorded the vote as 4–0.
The meeting record shows members intend to revisit the policy language in a subsequent meeting to address specific transparency recommendations raised during public comment. No changes to district practice were described at the meeting beyond the formal adoption and the stated option to revise the policy based on feedback.
