How much should I donate?

This is up to you and your family to determine based on your personal situation.  Donations of any size are gladly accepted and welcomed.  If you have more than one student at The Clifton School, you may feel compelled to give more.

Are contributions tax-deductible?

Yes.  Since the PTA has obtained 501c3 status, the contributions are tax deductible.  You will receive a tax receipt after the completion of the campaign.

What does the PTA do with the Gift Campaign? 

Since 1995, the PTA has sponsored this activity.  The PTA does many things throughout hte year to show our support to teachers, staff, and administrators.  STAC is the one time each year when teachers and staff receive money from the PTA (which includes all of you) as a way to say THANK YOU for all the hard work with our students. 

What if our classroom wants to do a separate gift for our teachers? 

We would encourage you to wait to fo a gift as a classroom at the end of the academic year or give something for the winter holidays.  Please make this campaign a priority from a funding perspective to ensure it is successful.

Will the amount differ for each campus?

No.  To keep it equitable, the amounts collected will be pooled.  All of the full-time teachers will receive the same amount.  All part-time teachers will receive the same amount, but it will be less by a specific percentage. 

In addition to the teachers, does the money go to floaters and staff, etc.?

The gifts are provided to ALL teaching staff and support staff.  Those who are excluded from this campaign are administrators and work-study students. 

If you would like to do something for the work-study student who is consistently in your student's/s' classroom, you are welcome to plan something amongst your classroom's parents/guardians.

What is the rationale behind pooling funds from all the rooms at both campuses rather than having parents/guardians give directly to their student's/s' teachers?

The system has been designed to maintain an equitable distribution and recognize the contribution made by all teachers and support staff.  The number of students in each room can vary quite a bit.  Some rooms have a higher potential for participation than others.  In addition, if gifts are given from parents/guardians directly to teachers, support staff could possible not receive any distribution. Lastly, some rooms have lower participation rates and can create unduly pressures for parents/guardians to compensate beyond their means. 

How do the teachers and support staff get their gifts?

Once the finally money is tabulated and split evenly by percentage, the PTA Board will hand write each check and card for distribution.  These are all handed out at the teacher/staff breakfast in mid-December hosted by TCS Administration.