Parent run School Advisory Council (SAC), Runnymede Home & School Association (HSA), and school administration work very hard together to organize and fund programming and resources equitably across all grade levels and divisions at Runnymede.  The issue of how many students/ grade levels a proposed budget item benefits weighs heavily in all budget discussions.

For more information about specific division funding please see the individual pages:

• Kindergarten
• Primary
• Junior
• Senior

Typically, each teacher receives approximately $300-$500 to boost their classroom budget (CLICK TO HEAR FROM OUR TEACHERS!). Sometimes teachers in a division will pool their money to buy a larger item that is needed.  Others use theirs for Scientist in the School programs, classroom libraries, classroom pets, special classroom supplies, etc.  Classroom budgets must also cover essential supplies such as paper, Kleenex and pencils, erasers, glue, scissors, etc.  The allocation from the HSA can increase classroom budgets by about 100%!

Typically 75% goes to enhance the School’s annual budget and provide much needed resources.  Each year the list changes a bit but items include: math manipulatives, classroom libraries, class supplies and in-class workshops, classroom pets, school wide assemblies, projectors, computers, ipads, smart boards, robotics equipment, stationary bikes, recess equipment, quiet recess supplies, art supplies, instruments and instrument renewal, music stands, new desks or chairs, and the list goes on…

25% of the funds go toward Council / HSA committee initiatives run by the Arts, STEM and Green Committees. These enrichment programs include: Kinder, Primary and Junior visual arts workshops, Angry Birds Math for Kindergarten and the Amazing Math Race for Grades 1-4, along with Green Teacher programming for Kindergarten, grades 2, 4, and 6.  The Green committee also maintains and pays for the entire Hillside Garden including the kindergarten yard portion.  These HSA Committees also work with the teachers and staff to provide additional resources for Arts, Math, Science & Technology initiatives, and outdoor recess and education across all grade levels.

The budget is presented, adjusted and approved at the October SAC/HSA Council meetings; all are welcome to join in the budget discussion.

Together, Administration, the HSA, and the SAC will need to decide where to make cuts to the budget.  Unfortunately cuts will mean fewer resources in classrooms and across all grade levels.

The Provincial government is responsible for funding education, but they allocate money to school boards using an outdated funding formula that calculates per-student expenditures rather than looking at actual school needs.  The HSA would love to see the provincial education budget increased so that schools do not need to fundraise!  Please speak with your MPP if you feel this way too.  For now, fundraising is how Parent Council helps our school to provide needed resources for our children’s education.

This is a one-time ask.  We run several other fun community events each year where we sell refreshments, but they are all completely optional. The School will ask for money for field trips, agendas, and sometimes there are fees if your child participates in a sports team, however this simply pays for the trip, event or item itself, it is not considered fundraising for the school.  We respect that every family has a different situation when it comes to their budget.  We hope you’ll consider making a contribution no matter what dollar amount you are able to give.

The media has repeatedly positioned schools as “have” and ‘have not” for some time, however this just doesn’t ring true.  All schools have needs that are not being met by the current funding formula.  Runnymede administration is allocated less than $150,000 annually to run the school (down over $100,000 from a few years ago).  For the last 20+ years Parent Council has been fundraising approximately $60,000-$100,000 per year to enhance school resources and programming.  The Runnymede you know today is a direct result of continual parent fundraising to boost the school’s budget.  Without these funds some school programs simply wouldn’t exist.  

The overall average raised by TDSB schools is $150 per student per year.  This includes extra TDSB funding allocated to schools in low-income areas.  Most of the public schools in our Ward 7 area fundraise this amount annually.  The top fundraising TDSB schools raise an average of $500 per student per year.  The lowest fundraising TDSB schools raise an average of $30 per student per year.  Runnymede typically averages $85-$100 per student per year.

Runnymede has hosted a Fun Run in past years (prior to Covid) to raise money for other TDSB schools and we welcome the idea of hosting a similar event again.  If you are interested in organizing this initiative please let us know!  If you would like to donate to another TDSB school in need, you can always find their contact information on the TDSB website and donate by cheque or through their School Cash Online system anytime.