Cracking down on craft fairs
BCPS says leasing school space to vendors must stop
By Jay R. Thompson, jthompson@patuxent.com
Posted 6/17/09
Community organizations such as parent-teacher associations are crying foul over the announcement they are barred from holding fairs and festivals on county school property.
At issue is a long-standing, but previously seldom enforced, county school policy.
While the policy hasn’t changed, Baltimore County Public Schools recently began stricter enforcement, and school officials are telling athletic boosters, PTAs and business associations to find somewhere else to their hold events.
Ridgely Middle School’s PTA was informed in April by the BCPS Physical Facilities Office that it can’t have its fall craft fair at the school this November.
“Ridgely ... has had a craft fair for 27 years,” said Kay Hardisky, president of the school’s PTA. “It was such a big social event. People in the community looked forward to that.”
At issue is a clause in BCPS guidelines stating that “facilities and/or grounds are not to be used for the personal financial gain to any individual or group.”
Nonprofits such as community groups and PTAs are exempt because they’re not making a profit — they’re simply fundraising — but the violation comes when those groups rent booth space to private vendors who do make a profit.
By the county’s definition, even a hot dog vendor or a craftsman selling homemade birdhouses would violate the rule.
School officials declined to comment to requests from the Towson Times asking why the rule was previously not enforced, and why it is being enforced now.
“We’re reviewing these issues, and essentially that’s all we can say right now,” said Charlie Herndon, BCPS spokesman.
Hardisky said the decision will ultimately hurt Ridgley Middle School itself. The group depends on the fair as its primary source of funding — last year the fair raised $14,000, Hardisky said.
That money, she said, goes back to the school.
“We give a $500 stipend to each department (at Ridgely Middle),” said Hardisky, who also noted that the PTA publishes “The Inkling,” a booklet of students’ writing and other creative works.
“All our money goes back to the kids,” Hardisky said.
The PTA has yet to find an alternative site for the craft fair, and might have to solicit more donations from parents or another means of fundraising, Hardisky said.
“I’m worried about what’s going to get cut,” she said. “What won’t we be able to do?”
Varying degrees of hardship
Catonsville High School’s PTSA also hosts a craft fair in November on school grounds, and has also been told it can’t be held at the school this year.
That event helps pay for an after-prom party and to support clubs at the school, such as Rising Scholars and Future Business Leaders, according to Alicia Brady, president of the Catonsville High PTSA.
But Brady said the craft fair isn’t the PTSA’s primary source of funding for the after-prom party — they also receive donations from the community — and she thinks the fair will go on ... just somewhere else.
“We do have a lot of off-premises facilities available to us,” Brady said.
Parkville High School’s PTSA also funds an after-prom party and pays for a teacher appreciation breakfast, a few scholarships and a senior picnic.
Suzette Gordon, president of the Parkville High PTSA, said her group doesn’t hold any major fundraisers on school grounds — much of its funds come from grants — but she said the school’s athletic boosters organization have had to cancel its spring flea market because of the policy, and she’s sympathetic.
“In this day and age, it’s hard enough to get volunteers, let alone raise money,” she said.
At Perry Hall High School, the Perry Hall-White Marsh Business Association hosts its annual town fair.
That event is usually a community-wide celebration — so large that police close a stretch of Ebenezer Road in front of the school to allow for vendors, elected officials and representatives from local businesses.
The high school grounds are typically used for food vendors, a petting zoo, a music stage and other attractions.
But the business association has been told that this July’s fair will be the last one held at Perry Hall High School.
David Marks, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association and a member of the business association’s fair committee, is not happy.
“After 11 years of being on school grounds, the school system has now decided we are not an appropriate activity,” Marks said. “It’s really ironic. I mean, we give back to the community."
.
The business association charges $100 a booth, then uses the proceeds to support the Perry Hall High School Marching Band, the Boy Scouts of America and other organizations, Marks said.
Money raised also pays for scholarships and banners along Bel Air Road that are part of the area’s streetscape project, he said.
Reason for change murky
Typically, for any PTA, booster club or other group to use a county school, signatures are required from the school’s administration, the Office of Maintenance and Grounds, the Office of Engineering and Construction, the Office of Risk Management and the Office of Operations.
Those offices have approved uses in the past that allowed vendors to make a profit, leaving the question why changes have changed now.
Inquiries to the school system have been unanswered, but Nancy Ostrow, president of the Baltimore County PTA Council, suggested that, “I think there’d just become a need to ensure that all school administrators were properly and consistently implementing the policy for building use by non-school groups.”
Ostrow recalled that, in the past year or so, two Baltimore County PTAs filed building use forms for a driving instruction company to use school grounds.
The fact that it was a for-profit company came to light when another driving instruction firm asked the school system why the use was permitted, she said.
Ostrow wouldn’t disclose the schools involved in that instance, and school officials would not comment.
However, she said, “perhaps the PTA did not clearly inform administrators that they were requesting the use of the building on behalf of a for-profit group.
“I don’t think that anybody was deliberately abusing anything,” she said.
BCPS superintendent Joe Hairston sent principals a bulletin May 15 reiterating the policy, and Ostrow attached it to the “PTA Council Reminders” newsletter she e-mailed to PTA leaders May 26.
The superintendent’s bulletin cited various policies and said BCPS, “prohibits the activities, programs or events that monetarily benefit private individuals, groups or for-profit business entities.”
In her newsletter, Ostrow told PTA leaders that when an application is approved, “You have no authority to permit others to pay you so that they can have access to the grounds to sell their products and/or services.”
In her e-mail, Ostrow acknowledged some PTAs have asked why the school can sell school rings, photos and other items to students — and PTAs can’t. But she said policy allows the school board, or even individual schools, to “enter into a relationship with a private business firm for the purpose of providing desirable products or services for students.”
But vendors at craft fairs and festivals are different, as they have a relationship with the PTA, not the school system.
Groups are working to comply with the change, but some say it’ll have a detrimental effect on their events.
Marks said the Perry Hall Town Fair may have a new home after this year.
“The good news is we think we’ve found another location at a nearby shopping center, but it won’t have much shade or much grass, so we can’t have the petting zoo,” Marks said.
“It really makes a lot of us angry,” he said. “This is one area where they can let the rules slide for the sake of the community.”
At issue is a long-standing, but previously seldom enforced, county school policy.
While the policy hasn’t changed, Baltimore County Public Schools recently began stricter enforcement, and school officials are telling athletic boosters, PTAs and business associations to find somewhere else to their hold events.
Ridgely Middle School’s PTA was informed in April by the BCPS Physical Facilities Office that it can’t have its fall craft fair at the school this November.
“Ridgely ... has had a craft fair for 27 years,” said Kay Hardisky, president of the school’s PTA. “It was such a big social event. People in the community looked forward to that.”
At issue is a clause in BCPS guidelines stating that “facilities and/or grounds are not to be used for the personal financial gain to any individual or group.”
Nonprofits such as community groups and PTAs are exempt because they’re not making a profit — they’re simply fundraising — but the violation comes when those groups rent booth space to private vendors who do make a profit.
By the county’s definition, even a hot dog vendor or a craftsman selling homemade birdhouses would violate the rule.
School officials declined to comment to requests from the Towson Times asking why the rule was previously not enforced, and why it is being enforced now.
“We’re reviewing these issues, and essentially that’s all we can say right now,” said Charlie Herndon, BCPS spokesman.
Hardisky said the decision will ultimately hurt Ridgley Middle School itself. The group depends on the fair as its primary source of funding — last year the fair raised $14,000, Hardisky said.
That money, she said, goes back to the school.
“We give a $500 stipend to each department (at Ridgely Middle),” said Hardisky, who also noted that the PTA publishes “The Inkling,” a booklet of students’ writing and other creative works.
“All our money goes back to the kids,” Hardisky said.
The PTA has yet to find an alternative site for the craft fair, and might have to solicit more donations from parents or another means of fundraising, Hardisky said.
“I’m worried about what’s going to get cut,” she said. “What won’t we be able to do?”
Varying degrees of hardship
Catonsville High School’s PTSA also hosts a craft fair in November on school grounds, and has also been told it can’t be held at the school this year.
That event helps pay for an after-prom party and to support clubs at the school, such as Rising Scholars and Future Business Leaders, according to Alicia Brady, president of the Catonsville High PTSA.
But Brady said the craft fair isn’t the PTSA’s primary source of funding for the after-prom party — they also receive donations from the community — and she thinks the fair will go on ... just somewhere else.
“We do have a lot of off-premises facilities available to us,” Brady said.
Parkville High School’s PTSA also funds an after-prom party and pays for a teacher appreciation breakfast, a few scholarships and a senior picnic.
Suzette Gordon, president of the Parkville High PTSA, said her group doesn’t hold any major fundraisers on school grounds — much of its funds come from grants — but she said the school’s athletic boosters organization have had to cancel its spring flea market because of the policy, and she’s sympathetic.
“In this day and age, it’s hard enough to get volunteers, let alone raise money,” she said.
At Perry Hall High School, the Perry Hall-White Marsh Business Association hosts its annual town fair.
That event is usually a community-wide celebration — so large that police close a stretch of Ebenezer Road in front of the school to allow for vendors, elected officials and representatives from local businesses.
The high school grounds are typically used for food vendors, a petting zoo, a music stage and other attractions.
But the business association has been told that this July’s fair will be the last one held at Perry Hall High School.
David Marks, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association and a member of the business association’s fair committee, is not happy.
“After 11 years of being on school grounds, the school system has now decided we are not an appropriate activity,” Marks said. “It’s really ironic. I mean, we give back to the community."
.
The business association charges $100 a booth, then uses the proceeds to support the Perry Hall High School Marching Band, the Boy Scouts of America and other organizations, Marks said.
Money raised also pays for scholarships and banners along Bel Air Road that are part of the area’s streetscape project, he said.
Reason for change murky
Typically, for any PTA, booster club or other group to use a county school, signatures are required from the school’s administration, the Office of Maintenance and Grounds, the Office of Engineering and Construction, the Office of Risk Management and the Office of Operations.
Those offices have approved uses in the past that allowed vendors to make a profit, leaving the question why changes have changed now.
Inquiries to the school system have been unanswered, but Nancy Ostrow, president of the Baltimore County PTA Council, suggested that, “I think there’d just become a need to ensure that all school administrators were properly and consistently implementing the policy for building use by non-school groups.”
Ostrow recalled that, in the past year or so, two Baltimore County PTAs filed building use forms for a driving instruction company to use school grounds.
The fact that it was a for-profit company came to light when another driving instruction firm asked the school system why the use was permitted, she said.
Ostrow wouldn’t disclose the schools involved in that instance, and school officials would not comment.
However, she said, “perhaps the PTA did not clearly inform administrators that they were requesting the use of the building on behalf of a for-profit group.
“I don’t think that anybody was deliberately abusing anything,” she said.
BCPS superintendent Joe Hairston sent principals a bulletin May 15 reiterating the policy, and Ostrow attached it to the “PTA Council Reminders” newsletter she e-mailed to PTA leaders May 26.
The superintendent’s bulletin cited various policies and said BCPS, “prohibits the activities, programs or events that monetarily benefit private individuals, groups or for-profit business entities.”
In her newsletter, Ostrow told PTA leaders that when an application is approved, “You have no authority to permit others to pay you so that they can have access to the grounds to sell their products and/or services.”
In her e-mail, Ostrow acknowledged some PTAs have asked why the school can sell school rings, photos and other items to students — and PTAs can’t. But she said policy allows the school board, or even individual schools, to “enter into a relationship with a private business firm for the purpose of providing desirable products or services for students.”
But vendors at craft fairs and festivals are different, as they have a relationship with the PTA, not the school system.
Groups are working to comply with the change, but some say it’ll have a detrimental effect on their events.
Marks said the Perry Hall Town Fair may have a new home after this year.
“The good news is we think we’ve found another location at a nearby shopping center, but it won’t have much shade or much grass, so we can’t have the petting zoo,” Marks said.
“It really makes a lot of us angry,” he said. “This is one area where they can let the rules slide for the sake of the community.”
user comments (3)
user onewhocares says...
I find it ironic that David Marks wants the "rules to slide" in this instance, yet he is the first person to get all up in arms when schools "slide" on their enrollement capacity.
Posted 8:59 AM, 06.17.09
user davidmarks1 says...
"one who cares," I would prefer that school system spends its time thinking of ways to renovate the other half of Baltimore County’s public schools that lack air conditioning…or renovating or replacing the 41 percent of schools built before 1959…or developing long-term strategies to reduce school overcrowding. And I'll continue to "get up in arms" over school overcrowding, although I am not the first or only one.
Posted 4:18 PM, 06.17.09
user edsvateksr says...
ARE YOU PEOPLE JUST PLAIN STUPID?!!! PTA's and Community Organizations work very hard to bring communities together for the benefit of everyone. What is the County School Board afraid of? Is it because they don't get a cut? Why don't they stick to educating and leave the communities to be communities as they were set up. Is it their goal to keep people in communities at odds with each other? These events, inclusive, benefit not only the communities but also the schools and the children. They work to help bring people together so they can be or become a solid community.
Posted 7:59 PM, 06.17.09
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