Peabody Veterans Memorial High School student representatives attended a recent School Committee meeting to relay a myriad of updates and also to ask for the Committee to reevaluate the ways in which students are able to fundraise.
The student representatives began by thanking Committee members for addressing their concerns from the last time they came before the Committee.
“First of all, we want to thank you for placing the curtains and hooks in the girl’s locker room. I remember I asked about this at the last meeting, and I’m really appreciative that you guys went in and put in the hooks,” the Class of 2026 student representative said.
He continued, “We have questions about approved fundraisers. It had been a past practice that requests from fundraisers that had been strictly monetary donations — i.e. Snap! Raise — have not been approved. Is that something we can revisit? Because we feel that it would be a great support for many of our school groups.”
Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala gave some background on the topic.
“There is a policy for no canning from the district that has been long-standing. We don’t have students go out and can to raise funds, and that’s been a long one — and that was really about protection for students and making sure that we weren’t putting kids in harm’s way or having them out by themselves, out in the community, with cans,” Vadala said. “So Snap! Raise has always been sort of under that umbrella, but I’m glad that you brought it up because it’s something the Committee can certainly discuss.”
Vadala then explained what Snap! Raise is and how it could be utilized.
“For those that don’t know, Snap! Raise is an online platform that asks for donations for clubs and activities. Many other communities are using it. We haven’t approved it as of yet because it was sort of under the same (regulations) as canning. Although, as I reflect on it, it doesn’t have the same dangers for students that canning would. You wouldn’t be out in the community. It would just be asking for a monetary donation electronically,” Vadala said.
Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne noted that “one of the problems with the fundraising… is that the way the funds come into the district, the laws haven’t kept pace with technology. That’s the problem. So we just have to look at how Snap! Raise works and how the money would be directed into your accounts, and it goes into that bigger picture that we’re still looking at as to how you can get paid online.”
She told the students that she would “look at this” and “get back to you because I know it’s important, and there’s got to be a way to do it.”
Dunne also urged the students to not “feel like you’re asking too much. It’s good to keep after this because it’s just making us progress on how you kids are able to raise funds for all the things you do.”
Committee member Joseph Amico asked that the Committee connect with Essex Tech to see how they are using the Snap! Raise platform. Dunne said she would take on that task and reach out to her connections there.
Committee member Brandi Carpenter asked where the funds funnel through and who collects them.
The student representative said, “I’m fairly certain that when fundraisers go through Peabody High School, they get sent to one account, (and) they then get divvied up based on what clubs report that they made through fundraisers.”
Chief Financial Officer Samuel Rippin said he knows that City Treasurer Ross Titelbaum “has some concerns with respect to the banking, how it goes in, giving access to the City’s bank information for the money to land. I think those logistics have not been addressed yet, as I understand it.”
Vadala emphasized that Snap! Raise would be a vendor that cuts Peabody Public Schools a check, and it would not need access to the City’s banking information to do so. Dunne added that, while she didn’t want to speak for Titelbaum, “he has been speaking with the business manager at Essex North Shore.”
Amico said that he would be prepared “to give this a go and see what happens.”
“Let’s face it: People don’t carry cash anymore. We’ve all fundraised. It’s difficult… Our kids need those funds to run their activities and their groups and their clubs. So if we can get that answer, maybe get Essex Tech on the horn, I say we do it,” Amico said.
Committee member John Olimpio noted that he would also want to “check on compliance issues with the IRS and the attorney general of Massachusetts, just how that all ties in because I would imagine anytime you solicit the public for funds, there’s those considerations as well, and (are) there certain reporting requirements that need to be done with that as well?”
Committee member Pamela Milman added that it is “super important to see what our policies are in fundraising” and noted that the policies may need to be updated as this progresses.
To close the conversation, the student representative once again thanked the Committee.
“I appreciate all the talk about this after I brought it up,” he said. “I hope the discussion continues.”
The conversation is slated to continue at the next School Committee meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 10.
