Bard School

Give to the Bard High School Early College PTA - Invest in our students’ education

		We encourage each family to consider a contribution of $1000 this year to help us meet our obligations to BHSEC and our students. Participation by all families, in any amount, is very important.  Please choose an amount you are comfortable with.  Your contributions to the BHSEC Manhattan PTA are 100% tax deductible.You may also make your donation in 8 easy monthly installments Easy Monthly Subscription Plan Donate $200 in 8 payments : $25 monthly Donate $400 in 8 payments : $50 monthly Donate $600 in 8 payments : $75 monthly Donate $800 in 8 payments : $100 monthly Donate $1000 in 8 payments : $125 monthly Donate $1200 in 8 payments : $150 monthly Donate $1600 in 8 payments : $200 monthly Donate $3000 in 8 payments : $375 monthly Donate $4000 in 8 payments : $500 monthly Donate $5000 in 8 payments : $625 monthly

We need to raise $194,500 in 2011-2012 in order to fund important school programs that benefit our students and faculty in every grade.  With lots of hard work and event organization by our volunteers, and generous donations from all families, we raised $185,000 last year.  With your generosity, we fully funded the Third Street music and arts education program and helped the school keep class size small.  We also made numerous student programs and activities possible, funded teacher and student travel costs, subsidized the cost of many college transfer office programs, and made more than $25,000 worth of books available to our students.Every dollar contributed to the PTA directly benefits current BHSEC Manhattan students and faculty exclusively.

Here are some of the ways your contributions to the PTA benefit students

When you donate, you support your child in several ways including:

1. Keep class size small - When we, parents, pay for school supplies, we also help the school allocate more DOE funds to hire teachers, and keep class size small. Research on class size reduction proves that it increases the achievement levels for all students while simultaneously reducing the achievement gap

2. Support music education - Research show conclusively that music education equips students with the foundational abilities to learn, to achieve in other core academic subjects, and to develop the capacities, skills and knowledge essential for lifelong success. The PTA pays for the whole music program and two theater productions every year to benefit all students.

3. Physical Education and Sports - Healthy body, healthy mind - Support our students’ physical education program and sports activities. Research results indicate a consistent positive relationship between overall fitness and academic achievement. That is, as overall fitness scores improved, mean achievement scores also improved.

4. Support the College Transfer Office (CTO) - The CTO advises students starting in Year 1 as they begin considering colleges to attend. The staff educate students on the process and help them select, visit, communicate with, and apply to colleges and universities. They understand the college application process and assist students and families in finding the right match. The CTO also advocates for Bard High School Early College and for our students’ distinctive achievements here. The capable and experienced CTO staff visit and communicate with college and university admissions across the country and beyond.

5. Subsidize International student programs - The PTA makes student and faculty participation in the various affordable and possible by subsidizing the cost of the program. We provide assistance and scholarship for trips to Spain, Italy, China, Turkey and Japan.

6. Professional development and grants for Faculty - We also fund special grants to faculty who go the extra mile for our students and support their efforts.

But the most important reason of all to support your child’s education because in these formative adolescent years, the quality of education your child receives is key to their success in higher education.

PTA of Bard High School Early College is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping our students and faculty at BHSEC Manhattan, so your contributions are tax deductible. Tax deductible donations reduce your tax burden - Parents who itemize their deductions reduce their tax bill when they make a tax deductible donation to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations like the BHSEC PTA. Our budget is approved by the general PTA membership and is available here.